A Creature of No Importance
by sckry
Summary: The women of SDK have far too little dedicated to them. The forest is terrible and more darker then anything I've ever been in. Monster: Part 3
1. The Tempest Part 1

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **I shall make this quick. This fic will delve into the females of SDK. The title is an actual quote describing women in the warring state period. Do not leave just because your favourite female charater isn't here, I am doing the stories one at a time and will get to them all. This fic is for all of you who wish for an in depth look into characters who are just touched upon in the manga.

Enjoy.

**Part 1: The Tempest.**

**Death and the Unwelcome Revival**

**1.**

It was the battlefield.

The roar of men as they leapt forward. Fast flashes of white; bared teeth and gleaming eyes, quickly smothered by crimson blood as it spurted forth from their own bodies.

I bare my own teeth at them; long hair mattered with dirt, sweat and blood. Same goes for the rest of me. I brandish my naginata before me, challenging.

'_YARRRRR!'_

A battle cry sounds hoarsely. My gaze flickers towards him a moment before my body reacts on impulse. The blade sears through him, his cry cut short as the blood gurgles in his throat. His hands still clutch his faithful sword.

Still, more come.

I turn, sweeping long cuts around me that sever limbs and slice flesh. They scream at me, they curse, they rage, but I will not let them pass. I slice up, samurai falling to his back as another tries to close the distance and strike me down. My grip on the wooden shaft shifts, and I jam the metal butt through the front of his face. He falls.

They are closing in.

To my right, one of my captains crumples under a heavy blow. Stepping back to maintain the circle, I reach out and cut his killer's midsection.

On and on, these misshapen warriors come, and we fight them. Oh how we fight. We become machines, reacting on instinct, hot blood pumping through our veins as we release it, in turn, from our foes. We give and we receive death simultaneously, side by side.

Life exists on a knife's sharp edge after all.

And one by one we fall, defending our lord. Our storm of death rages on.

Seventeen, then twelve, then nine, then five.

My Lord's horse has long been slain, and he fights here, beside us. He truly is a man of valor, and I shall give my life for him.

He is next to me, and I sweep away his foes so that they shall not touch him. Not while I stand.

My Lord shouts over the sound of steel clashing.

'_We are lost, my love, run! Run and live!' _He bares down on an unlucky soldier, cutting through flesh and bone.

'_Never!' _I scream, running towards a tall warrior. I leap up, beheading him in a single cut, before back tracking to where my Lord is.

Another captain, Jian, has fallen. We are all falling.

They swarm, there are so many. I struggle, screaming as I fight my way towards my Lord. Already the berth between us is so wide. I see his bloodied face; his fierce, desperate eyes and I struggle harder. We try to breach the distance between us, but we cannot make it.

We are falling, falling, and I reach out to him even as their swords plunge into me. I hold onto his gaze as the dark swarms my vision.

Our eyes, our eyes are mirrored. Imploring, desperate, unafraid.

At least we shall die with honour, together. I would not have it any other way.

My Lord, my love, my husband.

We fall, together into the gates of hell.

**2.**

Burning light sears through me. I am meant nothing, oblivion, yet now, like soft dough, my body is being brutally ravished by invisible knives.

And all I can see is white.

My dough body twists and convulses in agony.

I thrash and turn and flail, searching for an escape. But I feel claws digging at my soft, shapeless body and hooks seeking to trap me, hold me tight and bind me together.

Death is oblivion. This is not death.

My form is being bound, tighter and tighter. I feel my spirit being trapped, snared in burning wires that weave around me, in me, creating me.

I am being pulled out of death.

Hot wires still weave, closer, tighter, knitting together a new body. Weaving my spirit into the threads. The light, the light is everywhere and I am being wrenched cruelly out of my peaceful oblivion. It HURTS.

NO, I do not want this!

Another wrench and flaring agony, still burning. I can feel the body forming, coming together. Bone, muscle and flesh joining, growing, becoming one. With my spirit, trapped inside it.

I gasp.

My first breathe in over three hundred years.

I scream.

**3.**

The intense heat is gone, but the white is still there. I feel so heavy, so weighed down and sinking. Gravity has been of no concern to me for so long I struggle as it pulls me down.

This new body of mine writhes and contorts itself. I flail on the ground; I do not remember how to move. Something warm and gentle caresses my skin. Clumsily, I try to differentiate between limbs and muscles, between air and flesh, but it is so hard.

Slowly, the white is fading, becoming less intense. It no longer causes me to clench my eyes shut in pain.

When did I last have eyes to see?

Control is coming to me, slowing. My own voice pants and groans as my muscles gradually learn or remember to co-operate. They shake and sweat at the effort. I have established the ground; it is solid and smooth beneath my trembling fingertips. I realize I am in shallow water.

On my knees, I keel over, shaking. The water reaches my elbows and I stare into it. I blink, uncertain at the reflection before me.

My own.

I look up. There are figures surrounding me, all dressed in white. They surround me, fazing in and out. Slowly, I gaze around the room. Slow movements are good; my new body is listening to me.

A rectangle wall holds me in, hold in the water. A bath, I remember, it is a bath.

'Well then, it appears to have succeeded, on the surface…' 

I snap my head up and the voice. My ears ache, they are not used to sound. My head hurts and my throat feels very raw.

'Ohhh, she's beautiful! Just how I wanted her!' 

'_She may be defective, or too weak, like the last one…'_

'_Oh nonsense, look she's already aware of her surrounds, the other one didn't even…'_

Have I been here before? Their words are so hollow, they confuse me. I blink again slowly.

'_Still, we must run more tests to be sure.'_

'_Of course.'_

They.

They are the ones who have brought me here. Back to life, where I should not be. My fists clench in the water and my jaw tightens.

I did not want to be here. They have torn me away. My breath deepens, and I begin to remember more. More about what I and this body is capable of.

Something tentatively grabs my shoulder.

Eyes wide, nostrils flared, my spine straightens and my hand snaps out to grab the throat of the one behind me. Slowly I turn my head, squeezing tighter.

The clay mask falls and smashes on white tile and three eyes fearfully beseech me as he weakly claws at my hand.

I feel their gaze on my back; I have their attention.

The one before me gurgles, eyes now bulging. His tongue flaps uselessly in his mouth and I capture him in my gaze.

'_Return,' _I whisper to him _'be free.'_

I snap his neck and let the lifeless body sink into the water. I cannot help but stare at it; he does not know the mercy I have granted him. Bile rises in my throat. I want to go back.

I want…

**4.**

My Lord's face hovers before. I reach out to him, but my limbs will not move. He smiles sadly at me. No longer a spirit, I am trapped in this earthly body.

I cannot reach him now, for I am alive.

I wake.

Alone, and bound to this life.

Bound in it as well, it seems, for my wrists and ankles are bound in shackles. The room is small, not quiet a cell. I stare at the ceiling, wishing to die.

_SsshhHhh…_

My ears prickle at the sound of the screen opening. I continue to stare straight above me. Soft footfalls approach the futon.

_'Ah! You're awake!'_

The face above me is smooth and white, female. Her eyes are very wide and very dark. Mahogany, it reminds me of, the colour of a dark, rare wood. I cannot help but look at her

She smiles brightly at me showing neat, round teeth, but it is so cold. A long, slim hand reaches up and runs its fingers through my hair. I jerk my hand up instinctively, but it is pulled short by my chains. She pauses; smile dimming a little for a moment. The smile returns slowly to her features, predator-like, and she leans closer to me.

'_You are a feisty one, aren't you now?' _Sounding pleased, she brushes a strand of hair away from my face _'A feisty, beautiful, strong woman warrior…'_

Her voice trails off and I meet her gaze steadily.

'_Hun…just what I wanted…you gave us such _trouble!_' _She sounds delighted, bunching her shoulders up and closing her eyes for emphasis _'You knocked Doctor White down beautifully, you even managed to scratch Shinrei.'_

Names, names, they mean nothing to me. They are irrelevant. Her voice is breathless in excitement.

'_You are perfect.' _She sculpts each word carefully.

I want to strangle her.

Those dark eyes flicker as I strain against my bonds. I grit my teeth as she laughs lightly at me.

'_You won't break those,' _she stands, softly smirking _'we made the especially to hold down things like you.'_

And I am left alone in this silence.

**5.**

He prods me and pokes me, taking samples from me using fine needles and delicate tools the likes of which I have never seen before. I struggle, but they have drugged me, and bound me.

I feel…so heavy and tired.

His hands run over my body and I shudder involuntarily. I feel shamed, abused. This is not honour. I have killed men for less then this.

He is frightening; this 'Doctor White' is clinical, thorough. Maybe if there were some trace of lust in his gaze, in his actions as he examines my body I would be less afraid. But there is none. He is cold, calculating, and completely scientific. He is not swayed by the desires of normal men.

He does not regard me as a person, much less as a woman. He does not eye my body appreciatively, stroke my skin in an absentminded display of desire or wring his hands in anticipation as they wheel me in. I am nothing. An object of no importance; not to be regarded, considered, wanted.

He manhandles me, checking my eyes, teeth, ears like a horse. Indignation rises, only to be diluted and numbed by the drugs they forced down my throat. I succumb.

'_Gn, she has turned out very well,' _he smiles slyly at someone _'A real achievement indeed, my dear.'_

Laughter, but my eyelids feel like lead.

**6.**

In my sleep I am plagued with dreams of the dead. They hurt me, my heart, to watch them call to me. They know I am out of place, they want me back.

My Lord comes every night, asking why I have left him. When he turns to leave I cry and reach out but I can never reach him.

So, I have decided not to dream.

I sit and keep vigil; I try to remember my life before I died. It was difficult, at first. The memories would fall away like sand through my fingers. Gradually, though, they are gathering, pooling around me.

Breathing deeply, I relish the night air, and the memories that come with it.

Faded patches of memory, my mother, singing softly as she rocked me to sleep, her long hair spilling like silk around me.

My sister, holding my hand as we walk along the streets watching the festivities of midsummer's eve. The light from her lantern flickers on our best kimonos.

My Lord, my beloved beside me, arms around me with the feel of his heart beat pressed against my chest. Fingers through one another's hair and lips mashed together as we become husband and wife.

I do not cry or weep at these memories. I let them nourish me.

For what else do I have?

* * *

**Authors other note: **Tempest is the story of Saisei, formally known as Tomoe Gozen. Reviews would be lovely but I won't hold readers ransom if there isn't any, as I understand that most people only want stories focusing around kyo/yuya.

Ah well, such is life.


	2. The Tempest Part 2

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **Well, heres chapter 2. Thankyou to everyone whose reviewed, I really appreciate it. A quick note, each character 'story' will be in four parts, so this is part 2 of Saisei's tale.

I've almost finished all four, so if anyone wants a particular character next, drop me a line, otherwise, I'll just do whatever.

**Part 2: The Tempest.**

**The Unpleasent Sensation of Belonging**

**7.**

She tries to talk to me, goad me into speaking, but I hold my silence.

Saishi, her name is.

She comes every day, for a little while, leaving in a huff when I ignore her.

I am never left alone, constantly guarded. Sometimes, others will come in to look, to stare at me. I ignore them too.

I have learnt that they made me from wood and water, summoning me back from the dead to act as her bodyguard.

They have not uncuffed me yet. If I could get my hands loose then I would be free.

**8.**

They come one day, doubled in numbers, to hoist me up and set me walking. They are careful, respectful even. I threw one over the balconyand smashed another's head when they disrespected me the first time. They learnt quickly.

The only sound is our footsteps, echoing in this maze of endless, empty corridors. I wonder where am I.

I am brought into a great hall. It is magnificent, but I do not care to notice its finery. It is the five figures on the steps before me that have my attention.

Saishi is there. She smiles coyly and winks at me.

Four stand on the steps. The fifth sits upon them, higher then his comrades. His dark skin startles me, as do his eyes. They are deep, commanding, the eyes of a leader. Chin resting on clasped hands, he looks down at the woman.

_'This is her?'_

She does a little bob and flashes a grin, tugging on the hem of a kimono that is far too short.

'_Uh-huh. Pretty impressive, isn't she?' _

'_Why do you wish for her to join us?' _He has not even glanced at me; gaze focused on Saishi.

She titters a little before answering, almost pouting.

'_Taihaku-san, I don't think another female presence will do any harm here.'_

'_That was not the question.'_

She frowns slightly, before sighing dramatically and turning away.

'_It's all right for you men, you don't have to worry about taking care of your looks. It's not an easy task, being beautiful, you know.' _She walks over to me, hand on hip. _'If I have a helper, then I can let her fight and put more effort into helping the Five Stars.'_

The leader, Taihaku closes his eyes, contemplating. I slid my gaze over the other three. One is staring off into space, absentmindedly scratching his foot. Another lazes on a step, eyes hidden behind glasses as he fans himself. He sees my gaze and grins not at me, but behind me. I almost turn to look in that direction, but do not. The third, cloaked in white and blue, is standing straight and frowning at Saishi.

_'You would have a human do the duties of one of our station?'_

She smiled sweetly at him, pearly teeth showing beneath pink lips.

_'Only the mule work, I have so many more important things to do then fight-'_

His eyes flash in anger._ 'That is no excuse, you are a Mibu! You should be hon-'_

'_Enough.' _My throat constricts, and my blood both freezes and buzzes at the same time. The presence of this…Taihaku-san is very strong; it crackles the air and then, is gone. Even the absentminded blond is paying attention now.

I clench my jaw, and subtly shift my weight onto the balls on my feet.

'Mibu' is a word I shall curse until the end of my days.

Taihaku rises. Slowly, deliberately, he walks down the steps to ground level, walking steadily until he is standing just before me. I compress my hostility into a little ball and lock it away in my heart. I will not let him see it. Finally, he has looked upon me, and I feel the weight of his power behind those eyes.

And yet, he does not speak to me, but to Saishi. A bitter taste runs in my mouth.

'_Saishi, if she can fight, if she will serve and protect you with all her strength, then she can stay.'_

He turns away, climbing the stairs. The man scowls, cold eyes dark. The others move away, uninterested. That woman squeals and jiggles her ample bosom; I look away in disgust. I seethe, the disrespect, the shame, they had not even acknowledged me, addressed me! I have been humiliated, defiled and they assume that they can command my will and my strength.

And rage, my rage is coming through.

Fury boils my blood and a low growl escapes my throat.

'_No.'_

They stop. My escort shift uncomfortably behind me. Saishi looks at me; lips in a perfect 'o'. The blond cocks his head like a dog. The guards cluster forward, seizing my arms, as they are expected to.

'_I shall not serve you, demon-clan. '_

It was the Mibu who destroyed us. History will write it differently, but I was there and I know the cruel games these self-proclaimed 'gods' play.

A hum fills the air, and I let it grow.

Taihaku turns, and steps down.

Yet, it is cold one who acts. In a moment, he holds his curved, crystalline weapon to my throat, eyes flashing in anger.

'_Quiet, knave, you do not know the honour bequeathed to you by merely being in our presence.' _I meet his gaze steadily, tilting my chin up in defiance as he continues _'You should die for your impertinence.'_

'_Then kill me.'_

I have no desire for this life, it is empty. It holds nothing for me.

'_Nooo! Shinrei don't! Don't you remember how _long_ it took to make a construct this good?' _She pouts, imploring him from behind his shoulder. I shoot her a look of annoyance before realizing that he, Shinrei, has done the same.

'_She possesses hostile elements towards us. We can create another.'_

'_No!' _She stamps her foot, and I think, child _'I want her!'_

'Why?' 

'_Because none of the others will be as pretty, or as strong as her!' _Her fists are both clenched and she grounds her foot into the ground for emphasis _'And I'm sick of waiting for a double!'_

'_Hn.'_

His blade has not wavered, nor has his gaze left mine. He believes me to be unworthy, weak, a nothing. They all do, except, maybe, the woman.

'_Rrrr…Taihaku-san!' _she beseeches her leader.

'_What I said before stands.'_

'_Grr…' _I see her scowling again, from the corner of my eye. She is throwing looks from one male to the other. The dark man sighs with impatience.

'_Arm her.' _

Saishi and the other snap their heads to their leader. Shinrei's eyes widen a fraction. I feel a muscle in my jaw twitch. Taihaku continues _'If you were going to execute her, you would have done it already, Shinrei. Arm her so that she may die with-'_

'_Don't give me your pity!' _I snarl at him. I let my anger burn in my glare. Shinrei merely narrows his eyes.

The silence is thick and heavy. It presses down on me. I remember the weightlessness of death, and I long for it.

Taihaku sighs, waving a hand at Seishi, _'Release and arm her.'_

'_But I can-'_

'_Your construct seeks death. If she is able to stand against Shinrei, then you may keep her. If not, she dies.'_

Her lips are pressed into a straight line, but she gives a small nod. A flicker of her eyes and a quick wave of her long hand see my shackles fall uselessly to my feet. I hold my ground, peering out through half closed eyelids.

'_Primary weapon?' _Her voice is sulky.

'_Naginata.'_

A snap of fingers and hurried, shuffling footsteps sound.

'_Here.' _A guard bows, holding out a sword. Saishi stands impatiently, weight on one leg. She is not happy with this.

I reach out and grasp the shaft, sliding the blade out of the sheath. Its heavy weight feels familiar and comfortable in my hands and I almost smile. I shall die in battle again, with my honour and a Mibu's severed, white-blond haired head to accompany me.

My face betrays nothing. I step back twice, body at right angles to Shinrei's, my weapon aligned diagonally to my own. A heartbeat goes by.

Fast, he leaps from standstill, blade curving swiftly. I swing the butt of my weapon up, blocking a strike that suddenly snakes away to the side to slice at my torso. On instinct, I leap back, the fabric of my kimono tearing as he misses my flesh by a hairs' breath.

Surging forward again, he drives me back as I struggle to counter each strike. The erratic, unpredictable nature of his blade arc keeps me on my toes as I attempt to accommodate each attack.

Then the song of battle begins to flow through me.

I have the advantage of length, after all.

I parry his blows, using both blade and butt of my weapon to meet each angle of each cut. The clash of our weapons sounds throughout the hall as I dance, light-footed, out of reach. Suddenly I twist and duck, and, continuing the momentum, swing my long weapon up and under his own in a diagonal sweep.

He leaps back nimbly, almost smug until his eyes widen as he glimpses his clothes. His pretty blue robe has a tear in it.

We both pause, weapons on the defensive. He blinks, curved blade raised in front as he reaches behind him to draw another identical weapon. Slowly, he raises his arm above his head, whilst changing into a single foot stance.

I narrow my eyes.

He swings both weapons down and charges, and I meet him half way. Our speed is furious, our actions a blur. He pincers his erratic cuts now and I dart constantly away from them, now twice as deadly as twins.

My sweeping, long cuts hold him at bay. Chips of wood fly off from where his blades strike my wooden shaft. I block and parry, the versatile nature of the naginata allowing me to maneuver to meet the rapid, swerving cuts coming from all sides.

I swipe at his wrist with the metal-capped butt before striking forward with a massive vertical cut. He brings up both blades to bear the brunt force of my attack.

The ground cracks between his feet, but he does not budge.

_'Yaarrr!'_

I slam the butt-end forward under his guard but he darts away, too fast. I follow, using long cuts aimed at his ankles, inner thighs, wrists and neck. He counters them all, twin blades shine clear like crystal. He is jumping back, just out of reach. I feel my life-blood pumping through my veins and I remember how it feels to be alive.

So vivid.

I run and jump, another massive cut slicing through the air.

He uses the hooks in his blades to catch mine, trapping my weapon and hurling me overhead to the other side of the room. I almost laugh, twisting myself midair so that I landed in a crouch, naginata still in hand and ready to counter.

But he is already cutting, dancing, even though he is still so far away.

I feel the power growing around him and I scowl, already charging at him again. Mibu magic but I'm too late, too late though. Eyes alight, he sends forth his power.

_'Seven Split Water Dragon!'_

They come, huge, ferocious heads with gaping mouths churning and gushing like the ocean itself. Their power dashes me against the walls, pounds against my body. I jump, strike, move, dodge, twist, cut, drop, sweep, twirl, but my blade slices through water.

A dragon-head tears at my body, battering and constricting me. The water rises, and I am trapped. Something shivers under my skin, and I remember that I was made out of wood and water.

Fierce, white hot energy surges through my body.

I open my eyes and I too begin a deadly spinning dance.

My hands and arms move, my naginata twirls so rapidly, spinning faster and faster. The energy surges and then, suddenly, there is wind and water and petals slicing through the dragons, cutting them up as they swarm.

Yet the water still churns, angry, and the force of our energy creates a vortex of flowers and rain. I see nothing but the whirling mass, hear nothing but the crash of thundering waves and the roar of the howling gale. I am exhilarated, empowered, I am free in the raw nature of this tempest.

I must have died again.

But no, it falls away, sinking into nothingness, dissipates as the force fades. My knees tremble and my heart batters wildly against my chest. I am shaking.

I feel so hollow.

The columns and walls return as the power fades, and I see him through the melting curtain. Looking for me. We are both still standing. This is not over yet.

I grit my teeth and raise my weapon. We both charge. We both clash, strike, meet, block and strike again. We are both dancing now. All fatigue is forgotten in the rush of battle; both our eyes are alight with it. We spin, block and cut. We give out and take in blows. Both turning, we spin to meet again, and stop.

We have reached a deadlock.

Both blades rest on the others neck.

We are both windblown, drenched with sweat and water and breathing heavily. We are so close, I can see the different flecks of colour in his deep eyes.

Deadlock.

Damn.

**9.**

Sometimes I pity her. She is naïve.

Innocent, no, but naïve, so much so. She understands so little.

She is my master. I am loath to say it, yet I have no choice. She, with some help, created me, and in doing so, she has imprinted her authority onto my actions.

But she shall never have my heart. No, that part of me is still pure, true. My beloved Lord shall always hold mastery over that. Even in death, even in this second life. I serve him. I am strong for him. I endure.

She shall never understand that. Loyalty is just a word to her. The only thing she is dedicated to is her vanity; she lives to serve it. Skilled, she is, conniving, yes, clever and powerful, certainly, but these fall to pieces in the face of her conviction. It is nothing.

'_Now I have partner in crime!' _She giggles in my ear, toying with my hair.

She made me cut it short. My long, dark hair. Like my honour, it fell away.

She has no concept of classical beauty. Her hair is short, whilst mine is even shorter. Instead of richly embroided, sweeping, elegant kimonos, she opts for these tight, incredibly short uniforms that are better suited to a common street whore.

She preens at her herself, nurtures a cultivated white complexion, yet ruins it by parading around so scantily clad.

And now, so must I, for I am her shadow.

'_Twins,' _she looks so excited _'I always wanted a sister.'_

She lies. She always wanted a doll.

Me, I have become a doll in her image.

**10.**

My only escape is in the blade.

I am Saishi's shadow, where she goes, so do I follow. Yet, they do not refuse my wish to train. I am stronger then her, I think. She does not care much for battle, but she will watch me sometimes as I train. She likes beautiful things, and everyone knows that power is beautiful.

And in the blade I can forget myself.

'_My own, beautiful woman warrior.' _She says that often, mostly to herself. She outfits me with fine, patterned armor and naginata from the Mibu vaults. It will be my attire when I fight for her, all about effect. There is only so much impact you can make with a tiny kimono.

The magic within me is not my own. It is a side affect of my resurrection. Saishi; the wood, Shinrei; the water, Doctor White; the anatomist, Fubuki; the elder. These four are the ones who dragged me out of death. In doing so, some of their power, their essence has passed into me.

I was always meant to be of wood, matching twin to Saishi. The water part came from Shinrei and his master. For I learn more about myself everyday.

No one seeks to train with me. I am alien. I am above them, one of the Five Stars's, yet I am below, not real, not a true Mibu, a construct. I am ignored.

I train alone.

**11.**

She smiled at me, when I met her gaze. My eyes flicker around the yard, but we are alone. The training yard is empty, quiet.

I stand still, regarding her warily. She offers a shy, friendly wave. My fingers clench around my naginata.

Hesitantly, she gestures me to come. Hesitantly, I oblige.

She is very pretty, beautiful in the traditional sense. Long hair falls straight down; a sharp cut fringe hides her eyes. Her face is heart-shaped, and flawless. A Miko by nature, I guess from her pure white attire.

'_Hello,' _She bows politely, not too low, with neat hands clasped together. I incline my head, watching her but saying nothing. I have never seen her before, and I am wary.

'_I am Sakuya, pleased to meet you.' _She tries again, ever friendly. I cannot perceive any malice or conniving within her demure, she seems genuine, and terribly sad.

The same sort of sadness that plagues me.

'_Do you known who I am?' _If she does, then I do not know why she would seek me out. Most Mibu avoid me at all costs. The rest ignore me.

Her eyes widen a fraction.

'_You are Saisei of the Five Stars,' _each word is said carefully _'formally Lady Tomoe-'_

'_Yes.' _I reply sharply. I do not like either name; they both remind me of my slavery to the Mibu and of my failure. She studies my face a moment.

'_I wanted…to meet you, Lady of the Tri-crest,'_

My crest, ah, my crest has not been acknowledged nor mentioned so far, for so long. It was my banner, my insignia, my symbol of strength. My Lord bequeathed it to me, in the face of my military poweress. In battle, it would fly high on silk flags as beneath it I fought with heart and soul.

I close my eyes at the memory, reliving it, wishing for it back.

'_You know your history well,' _I say softly, wistfully. Those days, they were my life. My life that should be over, ended.

'_One such as you deserves to be remembered,' _Her gaze is even, steady from behind that fringe. She does not fear me, nor abhor me. She sees clearly, with unclouded eyes.

'_Hmmnn…maybe,' _I smile ruefully, which surprises me _'If I had been forgotten, then I would not be here.'_

'_No,' _She agrees, solemn and quiet _'The Mibu do not hesitate to claim the power of others for themselves.'_

I am taken back, by both her honesty and by the revelation that she is like me, trapped. A prisoner. She sees my look and smiles regretfully, not unlike the one I had just given her.

'We both know what it is like to be pulled away from our places, and we both know what it is like to be held against our will.'

_'…'_

_'I have something to tell you, Lady of the Tri-crest.'_

I wait, perplexed. She, Sakuya, continues soft voice gently but quick.

_'I am a seer, a shamaness, that is why I am held here. I see the future, glimpses of it, and…and I have seen you.'_ She lifts her face, hair falling away _'please, twelve hours, that is all I ask. Twelve hours and he will live.'_

_'What?'_ Her words mean nothing to me, yet she reaches out to me, imploring. I do not know what it is she wants from me. My guard is raised again, is she trying to manipulate me, trick me into a game? I pull away, but she holds on.

_'Please,'_ she gives my sleeve a final tug 'just remember this.'

I stare at her, and she lowers her head. There are tears forming in her eyes.

_'I'm sorry,'_ she whispers, and is gone.

**12.**

_'You need to calm down, Shinrei, you're so tense!'_

_'I. Am. Fine.'_

He is not. He is fuming. His fist is against the crumbling wall and there is blood on his knuckles. Saishi sighs dramatically, and tugs on my sleeve.

'_Nope, you're far too tense, see your muscles are contracting in little spasm's, that's why you shaking. All that suppressed rage, tsk, tsk.'_

She pulls me closer, giving my arm a squeeze. She is very possessive. Reluctantly, I join the little charade in a dead pan voice.

_'Yes.'_ She scowls at me for not playing along properly. I bite the inside of my cheek and try again.

_'It's not good for your health.'_

Saishi gives a tight, satisfied smile and turns back to Shinrei.

_'See? You need to relax, calm yourself,'_

He shoots up a glare at us before straightening. Saishi smiles brightly at him and winks. He pushes past us and stalks of the room.

He is angry because Sakuya has escaped. He is angry because he loves her.

* * *

**Authors note:** I hope I got all the characters good. Myself, I'm rather pleased with the battle between Shinrei and Saisei :) 


	3. The Tempest Part 3

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: Thank you to everyone who's reviewed!**

**Part 3: The Tempest**

**Hurt and Unseen Transparency**

'Fair flower, no sooner blown but blasted,

soft silken blossom fading timelessly.'

**13.**

The command of Subspace is a curious one. It applies the nature of both wood and water to my own body in order to manipulate time and space. I found reference to it in the Mibu scripts of old, linking it to the art of replacing the body with water.

I could not ask Shinrei, for that secret lies with his School, and they guard them possessively. I've found that there is much that is kept secret between the Mibu.

We are in the laboratories. Saishi has her own chambers for resurrecting her servants, the lesser constructs. Zombies, I suppose they're called. All women of course, all beautiful, all deranged by their sojourn out of death.

I pity them, for they do not remember their former lives.

They are the murdered prostitutes, stabbed on the streets, the young mothers dead from childbirth, the disgraced wives killed in the name of family honour. They are the innocents burned as war ravished their land and their bodies. But they know none of this. They are only hungry.

They are in her image, though flawed. They regrow, reform when cut and broken. They are not like her, though, who comes out perfect. They mutate, degrade with each regeneration, like the ugly scars on wounded wood.

Sometimes I cannot bear to watch them.

I am not like that, like her or them. I am a special construct. I am far stronger then they shall ever be. I bleed.

'_Mmmm…hungry…wa…want…to feeeed…'_

The zombie struggles against her bonds, thin arms and bony hands clawing their way up. Saishi coos at her, tickling her chin. She snaps her hand away when the creature tries to bite it.

'_Uh-uh, bad girl, I'm your master, you don't eat me.' _She turns to look at me _'Cut her again, I want to see how well she grows a fourth time.'_

Unwilling, I oblige, pulling the handle down for the large press blade that shears straight through the zombies right arm and leg, shaving off a healthy section of ribcage too.

It is gory, but there is no blood. Only twisted sinew and ropy gray muscle that looks like dead bark. The creature howls, twitching and convulsing as slowly, woody flesh knits itself back together.

I do not flinch. They are dead after all.

'_Hmm…not bad, the growth is reasonably complete, if misshapen' _She leans in closer to the writhing body _'All we need to work on now is the pain factor, don't want them to hesitate after being decapitated!'_

She clucks her tongue, curious, still examining, prodding, poking. A chilling thought comes to me, and I wonder how many times my own broken, failed body was laid upon this table until they finally got 'me' right.

I shudder.

I look down at my hand. The Subspace can be used in many ways, I've discovered.

Saishi turns away, jotting down notes and facts in her files, nodding to herself. The zombie is moaning, babbling incoherently, but she is no longer interested in it. She leaves the room, walking away to supervise some other experiment.

I drop my gaze to the creature. She would leave it here to die, to see how long it would take to starve. She would forget about it, ignore its pitiful mewls as it grew weaker and weaker. I raise my hand, and let it empty of all feeling, all solidity.

I step next to the table. It claws weakly at my arm. My hand is transparent now; light refracts as it passes through, like water. Calmly, I plunge my hand into her chest. She heaves and bucks against me, screeching, but my grip is strong. I squeeze the life out of her, a small mercy, I think.

Slowly, the struggles fade and it wheezes instead of wails until, finally, she ceases to move at all.

I sigh, shake my hand free of liquid and walk away.

**14.**

We watch Shinrei battle Keikoku, the Firefly.

They are polar opposites, fire and water, flame and wave. Keikoku burns alight, flickering, erratic and spontaneous. He is never in the same place twice. Shinrei is cool, calm, collected. He moves like water, smooth, precise and flowing.

When they battle, it is fierce, brutal. They leave each other no margin of error.

Saishi squirms beside me, excited. I place a hand on her back, almost to hold her in place. Such actions, such contact is what she expects, demands. It becomes more automatic now, second nature. I am becoming numb.

I hold my heart separate, though, safe.

The dual is finished. They lower their weapons and back away, eyeing each other warily like wolves.

Careless, Keikoku flits off, detached from this world. Shinrei stares at his retreating back, before turning away himself.

She sighs next to me as they walk away.

_'What do you think it would be like, being married to one of them?'_ I stare at her incredulously. She smiles coyly, drawing closer, eyes shining _'Who would you choose, Saisei? Burning hot Keikiyo or icy cool Shinrei?'_

I do not answer. She laughs softly in my ear.

'_Either one would be quiet yummy, don't you think?'_

'_I am already married, Saishi.' _I say carefully, evenly, without emotion.

_'Oh, that was a lifetime ago, silly, don't be an old prude!_' She laughs out loud and I feel like I've been slapped in the face. Yet again the fact that I am not really alive is shoved under my nose. Worse still, she dismisses my dedication, my loyalty to my Lord. My eyes sting, I serve my husband even in death. 

I turn my face away.

'_Now, now, don't be like that,' _She frowns mockingly at me, sliding a hand around my waist _'Old Yoshinaka's been cold and dead for a long time now…don't you ever get lonely, hmmm?'_

I stiffen straight up, rigid. Hurt and burning anger surge through and I cannot stand it. They swamp me, crushing my normally cool demure, wrenching it away. I tear away from her and I raise a hand in a clenched fist. I want to hit her, strangle her, show her how wrong she is, how _stupid _she is. I am shaking in my repressed anger, teeth clenched, unable to strike.

She raises an eyebrow as if to say _oh?_

I run. I run and I run as far away and as fast as I can away from her as is possible. My eyes are burning and my breath is ragged and I need to scream or shout or kill or something. My heart aches and I would take my own life but I cannot.

I have been imprinted. I cannot harm myself as I cannot harm Saishi. My body creates the Subspace immediately, and the blade is lost in it. Even that escape, that privilege has been taken from me.

My feet speed down endless halls. I turn a corner and slam into a body.

I have let my guard down in my rage and my sorrow.

In turn, I am pushed roughly against a wall and a hand wraps itself around my neck. I do not care. I just hang there, staring blankly into the face of Shinrei.

_'You!?'_

I hang my head. I wonder if he will snap my neck, and I realize how unlikely that would be. I am disappointed. My energy has left me, I feel so drained. It is hard, to feel raw emotions, nowadays. I crave for them yet I hate it when they do surface, like now, for the lack of control they bring. They drink up my energy, almost thirstily, and I am left a shell of hurt and weariness. I am used to being numb; it is so much easier.

'_Well?' _His harsh voice drags me back to the present _'What-'_

I begin to laugh, bitterly. He looks repulsed; it makes me laugh more.

'_You Mibu,' _It is almost a whisper _'You take and you take until there's nothing left. You would even have my soul if it did not give me the strength you want.'_

I jerk my head up to stare him straight in the eye. So empty, so hollow, how long has it been since I stopped caring? The weeks, months, years I have been here run into one, seamless dream. He is struggling against my gaze, I can tell. Whatever he sees in it unnerves him. He steps away, releasing my throat.

I almost crumple to the ground, but something in me holds me straight. He is regarding me warily, like a wounded beast.

I want to laugh hysterically, I want to scream out loud, I want to sob myself dry. I wonder, briefly, if emotions made me feel this way before I died.

That thought in itself sets me off chuckling again.

When I look up again he is gone.

For some reason this leaves me feeling even more empty, more defeated then before.

**15.**

We have been sent to deal with one of the lower Mibu Lords.

He is not exceptionally powerful, by Mibu standards. He is a scholar by main profession, though I have heard he excels in archery.

I do not know why the Crimson King chose us, of all people, to deal with him. Perhaps it is his way of reminding Saishi that she has to fight as part of her job.

Not that that is a problem, she has me now.

We have been sent out before, for minor skirmishes. Most of the time, I need do nothing. Saishi calls upon her dead, and they rise from the earth like new shoots. Men laugh until those lovely dead begin tearing at their bodies, ripping flesh and limbs as they devour their prey.

I no longer care. Their screams are nothing. They are weak and they are lucky to die, but I no longer envy them for that.

He knew we were coming. He sent his family, wife, son and concubine far away before he came to meet us at the end of his hall, long bow in hand. They will be found and killed too, but not by us.

A brave man, a foolish one. He will not submit quietly, take his own life to restore his honour. No, he has chosen to fight.

Some of his retainers stand around him, loyal to their master rather then their clan. Somewhere, a prick of admiration stings my chest. It is admirable; it is what I would have done, a lifetime ago, but I shall slay them nonetheless.

'_Games up, why don't make it easy on yourselves, hmmm?' _Our hands are clasped, at shoulder level and Saishi is smiling sweetly at them.

The Lord stands still, straight and unmoving. One of his retainers spits at us.

Saishi giggles, drawing me closer.

'_Oh you silly, silly men! Did you honestly think that you could get away with such treachery, that no one would find out? It's hilarious! Now we have to kill you!' _She holds a hand up to mouth, her eyes narrow and I know that she does not want me to hold back.

The Lords face is stern.

_'We could no longer ignore the corruption of the Mibu in the wake of Muramasa-sama's revelation. Even though he has long fled, we remain to highlight his rejection of the High Ranks!'_

'_Hoi!' _His retainers chant after his speech, and they set their bows forward and draw their first arrows.

I turn my head slightly to Saishi and raise an eyebrow. The corner of her mouth quirks and she gives a curt nod, letting go of my hand and stepping back.

Holding out my right hand, I close my eyes and summon. My power clusters around me body, crackling with my anticipation and I change. A small wind passes, my fine naginata materializing in my grasp, flower-patterned armor and head dress, and long, flowing hakama that will let me move. Even my hair is long and beautiful. I feel alive, like the warrior I once was.

I hear Saishi sigh behind me.

'_Oh well, at least none of you are eligible for marriage, that would be a _real _loss.'_

They all release their arrows at once, and I breath.

_'Harrrr!'_

I sweep around and down, and they all clatter to the ground, broken and useless. I see their eyes widen and I charge. Like good soldiers, they swiftly reload and fire in one motion. Once more my naginata twirls in a deadly spin and the arrows, like before, fall in a useless heap. They clatter, and I have already leapt forward.

They manage to fire two more rounds at me, which, in all honesty, I think can be attributed more to the length of the hall then their speed or skill. I am far too swift, too fast for them. They struggle with the third round, rushing to have one last shot, but I am already upon them. They fall like leaves under my strength, cut down so easily. Their blood splatters and their limbs fly and their screams sound.

Something flares in my shoulder, and I glance down to see an arrow. I shrug; it is of no real concern to me. I look up at the one responsible, the only one left, the Lord.

He throws down the bow and draws his sword, advancing. He blocks my first strike, quickly side stepping to counter attack at my side. I sweep round the shaft butt and slam his temple with it.

He crumples.

I stand over him, looking down at my handiwork. Blood is splattered over his face and shoulders, drenching his gi top. Almost the entire side of his face is caved in; skull broken open and fractured. His right eye is a pulpy mush and I think I can see part of his soft brain. He groans, and I admire the man for still being alive. He clutches weakly at his sword. I step on it, and swing my blade down to cut his throat in a single slice.

He is dead.

I hear clapping behind me.

_'Oh wonderful, simply wonderful, Saisei!'_ Her eyes are alight and she is squirming in delight. Slowly, I turn and begin to walk towards her

_'That was magnificent, beautiful, oh, you were lovely!'_ I advance, the fire of battle is leaving my blood already, it was barely satisfied. I hunger for more and I am left wanting. Saishi grabs my waist when I am close enough.

_'Ah, and you look just scrumptious with all that blood, oh I am so pleased!_' Her eyes rest on the arrow, and she looks up innocently at me _'Bit silly to let that happen, but it didn't faze you a bit! Lets get you fixed up.'_

She is always like this when I kill for her. Ecastic, delighted, dare I say aroused? It seems to excite her, the blood. I accept it all blandly; she doesn't really need me to respond now any way.

**16.**

The other five watch as Saishi tends to my wound. She is reporting to Taihaku, who will then report directly to the Crimson King himself. I feel as if this was a test.

_'-and she didn't think pause, she struck him on the head and then cut his throat! It was so exciting!'_

I wish she didn't speak with such fever, it is diminishing, in my eyes. It had not even been a challenge. I keep my face blank and stony, not wincing as she stitches up the arrow wound. I was careless, really, to let it happen.

'_Ah well, that fellow shoulda known not to try and create discord, we're all 'bout harmony, eh?' _Chinmei, the one with glasses and the pipe shoots a sly smile at Shinrei and Keikoku. Their antagonism towards each other is well known.

'_Did he have anything to say?' _Taihaku is gazing out into the sunlit courtyard, and I wonder if he is bothered by the Lords death.

_'Uh, nothing important, the usual claptrap you get from these sorts, still moping over ole Muramasa.'_ She tightens the knot and snips the thread, before applying some of her 'regenerative' potion '_Geez, I mean, I know he was an angel face and all, but the deal some of these people make over him, like he's a saint! Its laughable.'_

I sigh, softly, so that no one will hear. I can not laugh at men who died for their beliefs, however foolish they maybe. Shinrei must have heard for he glanced at me sharply. He does not get the chance to say anything, as for once, Keikoku has decided to involve himself in the conversation. He suddenly shoves his head forward to peer at my wound.

_'Hey Saishi, how come your zombie bleeds? Can't you fix that?'_

I frown, Saishi pouts.

_'I told you, it's because she's special. I can't pass on my technique as high as standard as I would like, it just makes them silly and hungry,'_ She shoves him away, grabbing my arm somewhat possessively, and starts applying bandages _'Saisei's special, aren't you? She still has her mind, and so, her power, she also has inherited some pretty tricks from her creators!' _

_'Oh.'_

Keikoku leans back on his heels, uninterested, and wanders off. Shinrei, however, is frowning me.

_'You never mentioned this before._'

_'Oh silly, I didn't need to, didn't you notice the water component to her power when you fought?'_ She giggles, much to his annoyance as he shoots her a frown _'No? Well, I guess you were too busy fighting her to notice, hnm?'_

Finished, she pulls my kimono back over my shoulder and neatly adjusts the collar. I feel like a child. She smiles at me, and I nod my thanks to her. For all she is cruel, she is a wonderful nurse when she wants to be.

_'It will heal over in no time, an hour at the very most!'_ She hugs me, and I tense before I remember my place and my act. I meekly raise a hand to her back.

We stand, and I find Shinrei staring at me. Actually looking into my eyes, like he is trying to find something. I am shocked; I step back, like I've been stabbed. He is looking at me as if I am alive, as if I am real, not just a creation. I realize that my gaze is open.

I look away, eyes guarded once more. I can see him frowning at me but I pointedly do not look back. I follow Saishi, and pretend not to feel his burning gaze on the back of my neck.

I remind myself that I am nothing, and that I am numb.

**17.**

No one else knows her like I do. No one else cares. Maybe I don't either.

No, that is not true. I hate her and yet I care for her in a twisted sort of way. I pity her, yes, for she so lonely and naïve. She will never, I think, truly understand what it is to live, to feel. Maybe she does not really want to, but I do not think that is true either.

Why else does she cling so tightly to me?

I don't think that anyone will ever love her. She tells me that one-day, the Crimson King will choose a suitable, strong, loyal husband for her. She always keeps a look out, for a nice strong man to come and recruit as a husband.

This husband, whoever he is, will never love her.

She is too powerful, too cunning, too dangerous to be truly lusted over. She has no admirable qualities to charm a man. She is spoiled, immature and would be a nuisance if she weren't so clever.

I lie next to her at night; she likes to keep me close. Sometimes she will stretch out a hand to grasp mine to make sure I am still there. She never weeps; she never really sleeps either, simply lies on her back staring at the ceiling. It is so much like what I did when I was first awakened it startles me.

There is rarely a moment when she does not demand me at her side. I am her bodyguard, I suppose.

_'What is it like to be married?'_

She is washing her face, preening, and I am so surprised at the question, for a moment I cannot answer. When I do, I narrow my gaze, wary.

_'What do you mean?'_

She waves an impatient hand.

'_You know, like…meeting the man and…getting married,' _She puts her hands in her lap and turns her face to me _'what did it feel like, saying your vows, signing over your life to him?'_

I pause, I have to remember. I fall back into the past as I remember and relish the sensation. I keep most of my memories locked in my heart. They fuel me in battle, but, for now, I can indulge in the small details. The thick smell of incense that hung around the temple, the heaviness of my ornamented hairstyle and the many beaded pins and clips placed in it. The thick, elaborate obi style that was so heavy I had to take care not to fall, with the small wooden amulet hidden tucked inside from my handmaid for good luck. The gold thread that lined the hem of my sleeve and the lavishly embroidered, silk kimono. The way my Lord stood as I walked up to him, the smooth, shaven skin of his jaw, his lips, his eyes…

I must be smiling, for Saishi is looking at me with an unreadable expression on her face. I reach up and touch my own smile. I can hardly believe it myself; I have been so used to forgetting. I look at her.

'_It…cannot be described…' _I look down at my hands, remembering his callused fingers slip the wedding rings onto my thumbs '_…it was so much more then any…feeling, any vow I could ever make now.'_

Her eyes are glazed as she stares away into space, lost in her own thoughts.

No, she will never be loved. And when she dies, none shall mourn for her.

I pity her.

**18.**

I am summoned, one day, to one of the smaller chambers that fringe the palace.

Saishi is not with me; she is working on some new zombies while I train. I ask who is summoning me but the servant does not say. Very wary and a little curious, I walk down the silent hallways. My heart beats just a little faster, though why I do not know.

I come to the room; the paper door is already open. Hand on the wooden frame, I expel the breath I was unconsciously holding before stepping inside.

There is no one there. Sunlight streams in through the open shutters and it is very light. Puzzled I look around. Something catches my eye and immediately I freeze, almost swallowing my own tongue in shock.

I shiver, skin prickling and I cannot breath. On the far wall before me hangs a banner, a flag, bearing a crest.

It is mine, the Tri-crest, my own. White against red. I choke.

I gaze up at it, overcome.

It is faded, stained and torn, but it is real. It is here and it is proof that I once lived. I am trembling.

I cannot tear my eyes away from it. Slowly, I step up closer, tentative. I barely breath, least it dissapear. This all feels so unreal, and I feel something block up my throat. I reach out a shaky hand, and I can feel my skin buzz at the touch of the red silk.

I stroke it fondly, softly, and I remember. I take another step, and press the worn material to my face and inhale. It smells dusty, almost like old dirt. I breathe deeply and I can smell the battlefield where it would have flown. I cherish it; I want to hold onto this feeling, this memory.

I scrunch my face up in its folds, no one can see. I am trembling and, ah, I am almost overcome with memory. The dust and the sweat and the glory is so bright, so vivid in my mind. Go back, and I see him, my Lord, my love, Minamoto no Yoshinaka as he presents it to me after our first battle side by side.

_'In honour of you, fair Lady, may I present this gift, for your valor today.'_

And his fingertips had brushed my own as he handed the folded flag to me, himself, and the spark was there.

It is not the same one, but it is my own in any case. Any flag flown with my crest is my own, from him. Something breaks and a sob sounds out, muffled by the flag.

But it is only one, and I bite it down quickly.

_'Are you pleased?'_

I spin; eyes wide to face the speaker.

It is Shinrei. He leans casually against the doorframe, seemingly studying the floor. I gape uselessly at him for a moment, struggling for my composure.

_'I…I…uh-how-'_

'_The Mibu have much hidden in their treasure vaults. Apparently they took that that from your final battle.'_

I can't function properly, can't find compose myself, can't think coherently. My mind is reeling from shock and long repressed memory.

'_W-why?' _I manage to stammer _'why do this?'_

He concentrates on the floor.

I am frowning, backing up against the wall, against my flag. It falls on my shoulder and I have to reach up and touch it again, feel it between my fingers. I press it to my lips, closing my eyes.

I realize how desperately I want to go back. Not just to death, but to before, to life and love and everything else.

But I cannot, it is impossible.

When I look up again, he is staring at me, just like before, intently. I meet his gaze, unafraid and unabashed this time. I wonder if he has found what he was searching for in my eyes.

I smile, and he is taken back.

'_Thank you,' _I whisper quietly.

After a moment he nods.

'_I…I wanted…' _He trails off.His eyes are such a deep blue, so guarded. _'I wanted…to see if you were really there, not just a shell.'_

He shrugs noncommittally, looking away again.

'_You hide it well.'_

_'No one wants to see it.'_

_'But it is still there.'_

'_Yes.' _I agree.

'_Good.' _He turns to leave _'keep it there.'_

And I wonder how he saw through me.

* * *

**Authors note: **It's hard trying to imaginw how Shinrei and Saisei would of acted towards each other, but I did my best. I quiet like exploring Saishi through Saisei's eyes though, its interesting. Um...this ones a little gory, do you think it reguires me to up the rating? 

Anyhow, almost finished this one, and I'm writing the next one at the moment. Its focusing on Mayumi.

hah, my chapters are getting longer and longer, next ones a bit shorter though. hope everyone still likes it :)


	4. The Tempest Part 4

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: The final chapter in the 'Tempest' story :)**

**Enjoy.**

**Part 4: The Tempest.**

**The Spirit Lives On**

**19.**

'_Saishi?'_

She looks up from her charts, eyebrows raised. I rarely instigate conversation. She blinks a few times before answering.

'_Yes?'_

'_My armor, there's something I want to add to it.'_

She is curious now, if not perplexed.

'_What do you want to add?'_

I pause, before allowing a small smile.

'_My crest.'_

**20.**

Things change, ever so subtly.

The next time I begin my solitary practice kata I swing down the blade in a graceful arch, only to have it meet against live steel.

He smiles softly, nodding, and we begin our dance.

When he fights Keikoku, it is harsh, brutal and heavy. Now, as our blades meet and part and meet again, it is beautiful. We block and we parry, twirling around each other in deadly steps to a dance we both are slowly learning.

Faster and faster, our movements speed up as we familiarize ourselves with the others style. He learns to remember how deadly both ends of the naginata are, I learn to remember the swiftness of his twin brother blades.

Step, move, twirl, duck, strike, counter, jump, spin, leap as we move in tighter and tighter circles around the other. It is a dance of death, but I have never felt so alive, or so beautiful.

We spin and when we halt, we are so close together, it is a hair's breadth between us. My heart pounds in my chest, and I cannot look away from his gaze. Both of us are perspiring, panting lightly from the dance, but we are unharmed. It was not about harming the other in any case. It was about contact.

It is so strange; this moment is so intimate, yet there was no physical touch. It is more then that, so much more.

Awkwardly, we step away, and I feel myself sigh softly with relief that confuses me. He bows, and walks away without a single word.

But it does not end there.

He comes back, to spar, to dance, and I begin to live for those moments. Many times, many days we dance, and I begin to long for them in a way that I should not, because I am not supposed to feel.

Barely a word is said and yet in these moments I feel as if my flesh is really real, and that real blood runs through my veins. It is the strength and the movement and the beauty of these dances that slowly binds us together. It makes me addicted to them. Even doing Seishi's dirty work, her fighting for her, cannot compare. Each time we draw closer and closer, dancing on the edge of our blades, so close, so close, but never quiet close enough.

Every dance ends with the two of us, face to face. Contact but no touch.

And, one day, he does the unthinkable and touches me.

It is only small, a light brush of his fingertips as he moves a lock of hair away from my face.

I feel young again, and alive.

Worst of all, I think I begin to love him.

**21.**

Years, years it seems to go on, this mixed state of emotional numbness and of ached yearning. Time is irrelevant to the Mibu; they exist out of it, in a world of their own. I too pass through it indifferently, from dance to dance.

Yet it ends, all over, all too quickly, for when Taihaku-san tells us the facts, and tells Shinrei his mission, I feel it all crumble apart, for I know that it will changed forever now.

He is to kill the traitor, former elder Muramasa-sama, and the cursed one, Demon Eyes Kyo. He must leave the Mibu lands to do this, and, for all his strength, grace and beauty, I fear for him. For I have heard the tales of their strength, and their secret, forbidden School of the Wind.

My heart is heavy, I am afraid of losing the one thing I have gained in this false life. I seek solace in my banner, the one he gave to me, and when I enter, I find that he is already there.

_'Shinrei…'_

His is not looking at me, but at the flag, in all its faded glory.

'_It is beautiful, no? The Tri-crest. Fragile like a flower, yet also a fierce tempest.' _

'_Shinrei…' _I begin again, for I cannot let him leave without asking him this one question, this one puzzle that plagues and confuses me _'Why…why do you do this?'_

He is silent. I gather my nerve and continue. I hope my voice is even, but it seems the tremble will work its way into my voice.

'_Ev-eryone else treats me as an object, a thi-ng! So why…' _My throat constricts and I can't continue. I am afraid of what his answer will be, and I curse my self for not simply accepting his gift with grace. It is the greatest thing to be bestowed upon me, acknowledgment.

'_It is strange, isn't it?' _He talks, calmly, and I am tense, waiting, watching _'not because I am here, but because you are. Three hundred years after your life ended and here we are, talking.'_

And he turns and he _smiles _at me, and I am speechless.

'_Your spirit lives on, even though your body does not, doesn't it?'_

Heat, a strange sensation, washes over me, and I can fell my eyes stinging with the onset of unwanted tears. I turn my face away, ashamed, for I should be stronger then this, in front of him of all people.

He unfolds his arms and faces me directly. Surprised, I think, he is.

'_Saisei…'_ I hear him step towards me and I back away quickly. 

'_No…its…just,' _I will my tears not to come and I will my voice not to break and I will myself to be numb, for that is how I am meant to be. _'Its just…you have…given me so much…and there is no way that I…can repay you…'_

He steps closer again, and this time I do not move away.

'_Saisei…look at me…please.' _Again, again, this contact, this intimacy that I long for dangles tantalizingly in front of me, ever out of reach. I want to reach out and touch him, but it is not my place, it is not for me. I am not worth that much.

A beautiful, meek, Mibu wife will be chosen for him, from his own clan. Selective breeding to complement and enhance the power that the offspring of that union will bare. Never mind that the Mibu have become infertile, I still see him with a child of his own. She will serve him out of duty and nothing more, as I fade slowly from the sidelines.

Just a remanufactured dead human, that is all I am. Nothing more. My own creator named me as such, and I cannot allow myself the luxury of feelings. I will not envy that wife.

But still, I raise my face to meet his gaze.

So close are we now, and my pulse throbs in my temples and for all my determination not too, I cannot stop myself from leaning forward and brushing my lips against his own.

We both stiffen and I quickly draw back, as much stunned as he.

'_uh-I…I'm so-'_

'_No…' _He cuts me off softly _'Don't be.'_

And we meet again, and I find myself falling.

**22.**

We should no of done that. Both of us, but I am the one to blame.

He is a man, after all, even if he is a Mibu. All flesh is weak, all flesh is grass, as they say in some distant religion.

And I am a woman, but, no, I must not think like that. Yet, I cannot regret that it happened. To feel alive again, and wanted, valued more then just as a piece of meat, flesh. I would say, to be loved, but I will not presume so much. I only hope is that he does not suffer any repercussions should it become common knowledge.

We lay on the floor, a tangle of clothes and limbs and I wondered if this could truly be called 'sin'.

It is, though, and it is my fault.

I had wanted to stay there, in his arms, but I could not, I did not. Slowly, had I sat up, feeling my heart pull as I moved out of his hold. I found I could not look at his face.

I do not know whether it was from shame, modesty or from fear. I never knew I could be such a coward.

He reached out, gently placing his hand on the small of my back, and I felt my skin prickled at the touch. I wanted to turn around again, fall down again, and meet in a heated tangle again. I didn't. I only bit my lips, and wrapped my arms around myself protectivily. Never before have I been or felt so vulnerable.

Coward that I am, I said nothing. I reached for my kimono, and, with trembling hands, began to put it on. Behind me, he followed suit, and when he tied my obi for me, oh so gently, I wanted to weep.

Cruel one, coward, sinner, traitor, fool.

We had stood, carefully facing each other, and when he reached out to kiss me one last time I pulled away, choking on my unshed tears. We cannot continue this. The hurt, dismay on his face had stabbed at me more then any pain I had ever before endured.

I fled.

I hurt him, when he gave me so much. He let me remember who I once was, long ago. He let me see what I could have been, in this life, if fate had dealt another hand. I had delved into my own weaknesses, my own desires and I pulled him down with me.

And I have done more then wrong Shinrei. I have wronged my husband, whom I swore to serve even in death, even in this life. I am a fallen woman.

Yet it seems so far away. His ghost no longer haunts my sleep, he has left me. I am abandoned.

And yet, sinner that I am I cannot regret it. My numbness has drowned out the guilt. All I regret is my coldness towards him, even though it was the right thing to do.

When he leaves the next day, we do not make eye contact, do not acknowledge. I have hollowed out my soul so that I can bear this, so I can be numb. Beside me, Saishi prattles on, oblivious.

I watch his back as he walks away, telling myself that he will come back safely.

**23.**

_'Anything wrong, Saisei?'_

Her concern is almost touching, really.

'_No. I am fine, thank you.' _My voice is calm, even, controlled.

I have become a shell again. Automatic.

_'Really? Because, you really seemed to enjoy performing that Spirit Surgery on the human…'_ Her face is innocent, pink lips pursed together, eyes wide. She squeezes my hand. 

Sometimes I wonder how much she knows, or suspects.

'_Demon Eyes Kyo _scarred_ you, Saishi,' _I raise an eyebrow _'We couldn't let them get off lightly.'_

She smirks, seemingly pleased with my answer.

Truth is, I have added 'petty' onto my list of flaws. Pathetic. I have become more and more like Saishi every day. I am assimilating.

It hurt, that report, that he had kissed the human girl, that next morning.

I know that it was to inject the water wyrm. I know I deserved it, but it stung all the same. So I punished the girl, the human for no reason at all.

It gave me satisfaction to see her so weak, even though it was cruel. I told myself that it didn't matter, that it was her own fault for being in so out of her own depth, that she was already dying. Such is what I have become.

I think I think I envied her, for the worth her comrades placed in her life, their determination to save her.

And Shinrei's face, when he confronts us about the girl.

'_You _what!_'_

'_Shortened her time span to twelve hours!' _She choruses cheerfully, and I follow her words monotonously. He is staring straight at me, and I let my deadened gaze meet his own.

And it hits me. Twelve, twelve hours, she said so long ago, and he would live. But who?

_'You know it is death, interfering with another Five Star's plans!?'_ He spits in disgust, at the both of us. 

Saishi giggles, arm linked around my own.

_'Oh, silly, getting all worked up over a human, as if it matters!'_

He scowls at us, moving off, repelled by our presence. I find a prick of anger in my chest.

_'A question, Shinrei._' He stops and looks back, _'Why choose the girl? Demon Eyes Kyo has other friends.' _

Silence, and Saishi gives my arm a little squeeze.

'_Then let me speculate. It is because of her, isn't it? She looks like Sakuya, the one who got away.' _I have to keep my voice perfectly bland, perfectly even. No emotion, no bitterness, least my hurt show.

But the way he looks at me shows I have hit a nerve, and that he knows what lies under my voice. He turns away.

'_Just don't touch Shiina Yuya again.'_

And he has gone.

Beside me, she pouts like a child, clutching her file to her chest.

'_Hmph, well, someone's grumpy. Must be a calcium deficiency.'_

'_Fool.' _I mutter at her, Shinrei and myself all at once, before stalking away.

Calcium has nothing to do with it.

**24.**

Burning, searing ice tears at my broken body, deadly shards running me through time and time again. I am breaking, crumpling, bleeding, freezing in agony. My power, my magic is being destroyed all around me and I myself am shattering.

I fall, helpless and broken to the ground. I have failed, in so many ways, but I must continue on, I must fight.

'_No!' _Even as the blood spits out from my mouth, and my stained and scarred fingers clutch at the shattered remains of my naginata. I struggle to get up, rise, but gravity is pulling me down, but this time, it is not the beginning. I will not give up _'I must win! I must-'_

'_No, Saisei.' _And I am being held, supported, so gently. A warm hand seeks out my own and holds it, tight _'You have lost. You have fought to the very end of your spirit, have you not?'_

I hear the human girl sobbing softly, is she crying for me? Silly human, I neither want nor deserve her tears. My vision is clouded. I am so heavy, so damaged and in so much pain and I cannot understand how I have let this happen.

But yes, he is right, this Akira. His words sink slowly into me. I have fought desperately with all my spirit to protect the one I love, but it was not enough.

I am dead, after all, and what can I, a construct, do against the blood and spirit of a warrior in his prime, in his age.

For this was never my age.

Oh Shinrei…

I told you I would defeat them for you, that it was the least I could do. It was all I could do. And I said sorry, and though I might have been apologizing for claiming to take away your fight, I know, and hopefully you know that I was really apologizing for pushing you away so coldly afterwards. I should of known to treasure the moment that we had. I of all people should have realized how little time we have.

And as I left you said _'don't die' _even though I am already dead. You cared for me, Shinrei, and I love you for it.

I grasp Akira's hand tightly; I can see his face so clear now. I can see everything so clear.

Twelve hours for the girl, twelve hours and you will live, Shinrei, but not me. No, and she knew too, that was why she wept as she told me, she knew I had to die.

'_You have fought as one who lived,' _I look up at my conqueror, my better, my liberator, for why should I fear death? _'And you will die as one.'_

And I smile at him, for I am not afraid. I do not regret anything, Shinrei, I just wish I could see you one last time. I have already saved your life, as you saved mine.

'_Yes,' _I whisper, squeezing his hand. I fought as one who has lived. It was not true life, but it was not fake, artificial. You made it real, Shinrei, and maybe, my memory will live on with you. I can ask for no more from this life. The one he has freed me from; now I can return '_Thank you, Akira, I-'_

I sigh. My body shudders and my eyes close. I fade, fall apart, back into the blossoms and droplets I was created from. It does not hurt this time, as my body unravels, uncurls, myself falling upwards.

It is beautiful.

* * *

**Authors note:** So there you have it. I'm sorry if the 'romance' part seemed a little condensed, but it wouldn't of worked any other way. I hope that this go's a little further into explaining the actions/motives of Saisei and Shinrei. I must admit, I was a little sad writing the last segment, but oh well.

I tried to get the dialouge as acurate as possible, but as my books are in another country, I can't really check up. Not that I think anyone minds too much...

Next story: Ever Clear


	5. Ever Clear Part 1

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note:** Ok,here's the next story!! As I mentioned, this is on Mayumi. It is going to be very different from Tempest, obviously because Mayumi and Saisei are completly different, so there will probably not be much action in here, focusing more on the relationship between Mahiro, Mayumi and of course, Muramasa. Sorry if anyone finds it a little boring, but bear with it please!!

**Part 1: Ever Clear**

**False Blessings**

**1.**

Father was a good man. He worked hard to earn his bread and to feed his family. He was civil to everyone and made regular offers to the local kami. He was kind to his wife, twelve years his junior, and fond of his children.

He was pleased, yes, with the life he had created with his own hands, seemingly from nothing. We did not have any relatives on his side of the family, or rather, none that we knew of. He never talked about his past, and when I asked mother she would only smile and distract us with sweets or dango balls or something shiny.

She loved to garden. Herbs and such were her specialty. She was a careful cataloguer too. Each plant, how much it was worth and its attributes were all recorded in her journal. When I crawl onto her lap to see better, she laughs and trickles me until, squealing, I run out of the room and in to more mischief.

'_Mayumi, come here, what trouble are you up too now?'_

And, hiding, I cram my fist into my mouth and try not to giggle. She knows all my hiding places though, she draws out the suspense before she pounces on me, laughing as I squirm in her embrace.

At night, she coos softly, trying to coax me to sleep, stroking my forehead gently. Sleepily, I cling to her frame, comfortable and warm.

**2.**

I hold tightly onto my father's large hand. There are so many people in this place and I am afraid I'll be swept away.

'_Papa, don't let go of me!'_

'_I won't.' _Smiling, he tugs my arm and I clutch onto his in case he forgets and lets go.

He leads me through the crowds, and, frightened though I am, I cannot help but be fascinated by all the people. An old, colourful woman throws pretty stones onto the ground, peering as she attempts to see a glimpse of the future of her client. Loud merchants call from their stalls, wafts of fried eel and other tasty food thread through the people.

'_Can we get some food? I'm hungry!'_

'_We just ate, Mayumi!'_

'_Yeah, but I'm h-hungry again.'_

'_Maybe in a little while, we're almost there. Oh-forgive me!'_

His eyes widen and he pulls me back behind him to make way for a man. I peer out from his legs to look at him. Tall, relatively well dressed and bearing a pair of swords, his stern gaze meets mine and I gulp, scared.

My father is bowing deeply, apologizing profusely. The man's gaze wanders away, uninterested and dismissive as he walks away. Father stays low until the man has moved on, only then does he rise.

He seems relieved, if a little jittery. He sees my worried gaze and kneels down to my level.

'_Do you know what that man was?' _I shake my head. He gives off a little smile at my antics _'That was a samurai, a warrior. You must always be polite to a samurai, wherever you are.'_

Wide eyed, I look up.

'_Why?'_

He chuckles nervously and ruffles my hair.

'_They fight to protect the village, they are dangerous men. Try not to ever bother one, ok?'_

'_Ok.'_

We move on. Finally, through the forest of walking legs, we come to line, and we both have to wait for a long time. Father hoists me up to sit on my hip and I wrap my arms around his neck, pleased with my new vantage point.

Everywhere, people are talking chatting, yelling. Poor men and old women line up, all vying to get a blessing from the visiting travelling monk.

'_Why do we need a blessing?'_

'_For your mother.'_

'_She's not sick!' _I exclaim, alarmed. Father smiles.

'_No, don't fret. We need a blessing for your new little brother.'_ I am confused.

'_But…I don't have a brother.'_

'_No, but you'll be getting one soon, what do you think about that, eh?' _His face has lit up, but I am still puzzled. I rub my eyes, frowning. Father shifts his grip on me, so I can rest my head on his shoulder _'Don't worry, Mayumi, you'll like him when he comes.'_

**3.**

The blessing didn't work; the monk must have done something wrong. I don't get a little brother, and mother becomes very ill for a while, I worry that I accidentally jinxed her that day.

She is sad for the longest time. I try to cheer her up by bringing in flowers and leaves and bugs to cheer her up. Sometimes I get a smile; often she just strokes my cheek and sends me off to play.

Father is quieter too, but he still has a smile and a wink for me.

I like the garden. It's always interesting and amusing. I like the plants, and I try to help mother by pulling out the weeds. Occasionally I pull out the wrong ones, but she doesn't get too cross.

I wait for the little brother, but he doesn't come the next year, or the year after, or the year after that.

**4.**

Her belly is so round, last time I saw her. Like a ball. I liked to stroke it, feel my brother kick, but I'm not allowed to do that now.

I don't understand when they say I cannot see her. All these ladies in our house; my auntie and granny as well as strangers, running around frantic, and shouting. I am confused and distressed and they won't let me see my mother.

I stand forlorn in the hallway and try hard not to sob. I tug at their sleeves to get their attention, but they shrug me off.

No one takes notice, except for one woman who pops a sweet in my mouth to try and shut me up. I run away to my father, but he is too distracted to pay proper attention to me.

'_Papa,' _I pull at his arm _'I want to see Mama!'_

He merely sighs, half heartedly ruffling my hair. I am infuriated, to be treated such as a child. I am eight years old, not a baby! I run off into the garden. I hide behind the cherry blossom tree, in the little nook where two branches separate. Stubbornly, I wait there as I weep in my unhappiness.

No one comes for me, but I refuse to go back into the house. I know that my mother will notice I'm gone, she will come looking for me, worried. When she finds she will give a cry of relief and wrap her long arms around me and cuddle me and cover my face in kisses.

I doze off, wretched and miserable in my tree.

**5.**

She never came for me.

It was one of my auntie's who came out, tears streaming down her face and holding up a lantern. Her calls woke me.

'_Mayumi! Mayumi, where are you?! Please Mayumi!'_

'_Mmmmurh here…' _Groggily, I slide out of the tree, cold and snivelly, stumbling as I walk towards her voice.

'_Oh Mayumi! Thank gods!' _I am swept up in her arms tightly, but it is not the same, they are not my mothers. I pull away and look up.

'_Where's Mama?'_

Her face scrunches and she doesn't reply. I grow frightened; she only clutches me closer, burying her head in my hair. I stammer.

'_A-auntie…w-where's mama?'_

She only apologizes, and cries harder.

And I start crying too.

**6.**

Mother never woke up, she never came for me.

I sat beside her cold, gray corpse and I felt that nothing could ever hurt as much as this. Tears are running their course down my plump cheeks.

It smells of sweat and blood in that room and I hate it. Mother lies so still, her long wavy hair drenched dark and spilling all over the pillow. Tentatively, I reach out to touch her hand. It is limp and heavy, and I recoil in horror and flee the room.

Panting heavily in shock, I watch my ashen-faced father enter the very room I have just fled. He does not look at me. I blink furiously and try not to cry again.

Something mewls, and it sounds like a weak kitten. Curious, I slowly stand, hesitantly stepping closer to wear my granny sits, cradling something in her arms.

'_Granny?' _I say, taking another step. The mewling sounds again, and Granny looks up at me. Her lined face is wet, but she is smiling at least. I creep closer as she motions me to sit by her.

'Mayumi, dear…here…' I inch closer, peering at the bundle in her arms. It's a baby. 'This is your new sister.' Her voice cracks as she says it, but she maintains her composure. 'Sister?' The baby's face is all crinkled, splotchy and red. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat 'She's a bit ugly.' 

Granny chuckles.

'_She'll get better. She's very small.' _Her eyes meet mine _'She isn't going to have a mother to look after her, Mayumi, you're going to have to take care of her instead.'_

I look at the baby again, and reach out a hand to touch her tiny fist. It latches onto my finger, tight. It makes me smile.

'What's her name, Granny?' 

'_Mahiro.'_

* * *

**Authors note: **So, whaddaya think? interesting, boring, or just whatever? 


	6. Ever Clear Part 2

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note:** I understand that these first two chapters of Ever Clear are a little boring, and if you don't review, thats fine. Just please hold out with the story, thats all I ask. I'm almost done on the third part, so hopefully, with the 'romance' in, it will be a little more interesting. :)

**Part 2: Ever Clear**

**Loss Leaving Us at Two**

**7.**

Granny moves in with us, she has to, to look after the house now that mother is gone. My father is in certainly no position to do so.

He walks around, like a zombie, like he is empty or something. I try to crawl into his lap to hug him, but his arms are limp around me. He sleeps, wakes, works, eats and sleeps again. I don't know why, but for some reason he doesn't like to be near Mahiro. His eyes glaze over when he looks at her.

I love her; she is so cute. Granny was right; her face much looks better now, its no longer so raw looking. I have to look after her, because mother's not here, so I help feed her and play with her when I am not helping Granny.

Sometimes I cry because I miss her. I miss tugging at her wavy hair, I miss her chasing me and tickling me. I miss helping her in the garden, her earthy smell and callused hands. It's all right though, if Granny finds me like this, she'll hug me and kiss my cheeks.

At first I felt really sad and lonely, but when I see Mahiro, it's ok. She fills up the space mother left behind.

**8.**

'_Granny! Granny! Is the dango ready yet?'_

Mahiro jumps up at Granny, excited and enthusiastic. Carrying a load of dry washing in from outside, I see my Granny smile and pinch her cheek fondly.

'_If you keep asking, then they never will be.'_

'_But you said they would be done by now!' _I drop the linen in the next room and begin folding it, watching through the open wall as Granny deliberately winds my little sister up.

'_Did I? I'm not sure I remember…what am I making again?'_

'_Granny!' _She crosses her arms and pouts.

'_Yes dear? Can I help you?'_

'_MNNNNnnnnrrrrah-eep!'_

Sneaking up quietly, I strike, tickling her ribs and stomach as she tries to squirm out of my grasp, emitting delighted shrieks.

'_Noooooooh!!'_

'_Rah!'_

We both collapse, laughing as Granny scowls at us for making such a racket.

That afternoon, we take the dango and other foods and picnic out under the cherry blossom tree. Mahiro and I climb the tree, worrying poor Granny. We smile through the mist of beautiful pink blossoms at each other.

I pull a face at her and she pokes her tongue out at me.

**9.**

Two years ago Granny passed away in her sleep. I wasn't surprised, not really. She was old and weary, and ready too. She had said that it would be a miricle for her to see out the winter, and she was right. The miricle never happened.

Mahiro was distraught, crying for days on end, preferring to be alone with her grief. It passed, though, as all things do. She is still young, and far too full of energy to spend it all in mourning.

We buried her next to mother.

Father and I are determined that Mahiro will be well educated, that she will have lots of opportunities to achieve a better life then our own. My own learning was interrupted by the death of my mother, and as a result I can only read a little and write nothing. Still, I get by. We are peasants, after all, and our job lies in working hard labor, not in working the brain.

Mahiro, Mahiro is our hope.

I am good with plants, herbs, things like that. I can cook, I can clean.

I would be the perfect wife, really.

Father tried to bring it up, about finding me a nice husband to marry, but I said no. If I leave, then it will just be him and Mahiro on their own, and though I know he really does love her, it will would be a gloomy, unhappy house without me. I am the peacekeeper, the homemaker, because, frankly, father wouldn't have a clue about raising a young girl.

He wants me to be happy, I know. However, I am happy here, in our small house on the hill. The plants grow better here, and I don't mind looking after the house. When I am here, my illiteracy doesn't matter too much. Mahiro is growing girl, and I love watching her blossom.

It is fine, just the three of us.

**10.**

War plagues this land. We are lucky, secluded where we are. We do not suffer as other have suffered. Father works hard to farm the rice for our resident Daimyo, and he is a good worker.

He does not like these wars, these brutal campaigns. He says that we should move closer to the village, so that we are safer, but I don't think we ever will.

I serve our meal, rice, meat and vegetables. Mahiro smiles and claps her hands.

'_Alright! Mayumi, this looks wonderful!'_

'_Calm down, Mahiro.' _But he smiles as he says this.

'_Don't eat too fast, or you'll choke.'_ I smile and Mahiro just grins.

But it fades, yes, because we are not protected forever. And when war comes, everybody loses.

**11**.

He told us to run and we did. I held on tight to Mahiro's hand and we ran as fast as we could.

We could see the smoke from the village, and it was terrifying. The black smoke rose like a greedy snake into the sky, and the screams of our neighbors, our friends, sounded from behind us as we fled. Scared and desperate, our breaths ran ragged as we stumbled and fell in our bid to escape.

Mahiro clings to me now as we crouch behind a tree in the forest. I bury her face into my shoulder and whisper small poems and lullaby's in her ear to calm her, to try and block out this nightmare. We both shake violently to our cores with cold fear and terror.

Shadows flits around us, and I pray to whatever merciful kami out there to hide us so that we will not be found by any rouge soldier. We are crying, trying not to make noise but we are sobbing all the same. I hold my sister so tight just so I know that she is still here with me. She does the same.

When morning comes we wake damp, sore and exhausted. We are drained, emotionally and physically. There are scrapes and bruises on our arms and legs. Mahiro's little face is pale with dark bags under her eyes, and I imagine I look no better.

I help her up, we are both staggering as our limbs are stiff and aching from the previous night. I feel so empty, so weary, and I feel as if we are both still in a dream.

It can't have happened.

But it did.

We walk with bare feet and torn clothes through what was once our town. Everything is burnt, or burning still. Blood washes the ground, and I block Mahiro's eyes so that she doesn't see them.

'_M-Mayumi, d-don't leave me, hold me close, s-so I know you're there.'_

I wrap my arm around her shoulders and hold her close.

'_I'm not going anywhere, I'm right here, looking after you.' _I keep on whispering to her, so that she'll concentrate on my words instead of the stench of blood, or the wailing of the few survivors. She whimpers a little, nonetheless.

It is all so quiet. Not even the birds call. As we walk through that town, I believe that this is what hell must look like, the aftermath, the destruction.

I choke, a sob threatening to break loose in my throat as I spot people I know, girls I've chatted with on market day, but I push it down. Carefully, I led her through, guiding her past the mangled corpses and broken trash.

I keep my hand over her eyes, even when we leave the village. I want her to feel safe. She doesn't argue, she just trembles.

Our house is looted, battered, but still standing.

I am still dumb with shock and relief. My hand slips from her face.

'Uh-ohh…' 

We stand there together, two sisters alone on that bleak and hopeless day.

We are alive.

**12.**

We make do.

The few who survived did not remain in this place. Gradually, they drifted off, seeking larger towns with higher walls and more samurai to defend them.

But not us.

We never saw our father again. In my heart, I know he is dead, yet sometimes I do wonder if he fled along with the others. Maybe he believed us to be dead. I don't know.

Slowly, slowly, we scraped together what was left of our lives. Hesitantly, we rebuilt the sensation of normality; we let the rain wash away the blood of the dead. We scavenged what we could from our broken village and rebuilt our sanctuary, our home.

Mahiro and I, we did not leave.

My sister lies beside me now, as we listen to the autumn rain battering on the roof. It is dark and quiet, apart from the constant pattering and the drips of our leaking house.

We try our best, but we are women. We were never taught such things as fixing leaking roofs.

So we patch it up with straw, mud and wood, hoping it will keep us just that little bit drier the next night. Improvisation is our motto, making do. We don't have much, but it is enough.

It has to be enough.

We do not want to leave, at least I don't. I am wary of the outside world; it holds nothing for me. It took away our father, and I do not pretend that I would be smart enough, or clever enough to make a living in a city. For sure, I would be conned, swindled, and both of us would most likely end up in a brothel.

I do not want that. I am happy to struggle out here, in the mountains. It is not easy, but it is pure, raw, and honest.

Mahiro sighs beside me, turning over restlessly. I watch the gray shadows flicker on the ceiling, letting the soft shapes take form in my tired mind.

Haku, the albino dog that adopted us growls softly in his sleep. I can feel his warm body at my feet. It is a comfort to have him with us. He tends to deter away and lecherous wanderers who stumble into our midst.

Winter is coming, and winter is always hard, but we will manage. We have done so before, and will do again.

_Next year, _I think, _next summer will be better._

Maybe.

* * *

**Authors note: **Guess who turns up next chapter?

heh heh.

Just a note to say that it may seem a little rushed, killing off both the father and the Granny in one chapter, but when you think to the era its set in, situations like this would not be unheard of. Medicine was primitive, the elderly did not live as long as they do these days, war ravaged the land, and childbirth was very dangerous for women(referring to Mayumis mum, of course.)

Plus, there were a number of years between the deaths. Thats all, hoped you liked it!


	7. Ever Clear Part 3

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **So...heres part three, and I guess you all have a little idea on whats going to happen...God, this turned out so long, I tried to go through it and shorten it, but all the stuff I had written I really liked! Hope you guys don't mind the length...

**Picking Up the Pieces**

**13.**

Few travelers come our way, but when they do, they are met with welcome and a warm meal. As reluctant as I am to join the outside world, it can never hurt to be informed.

The one traveler who tried to take advantage of us was beaten soundly over the head by Mahiro and her cooking pot, and the sight of my fierce little sister and her canine friend chasing away a grown man made me laugh and laugh and laugh.

No one comes in winter. It is too cold, too isolated, too dangerous.

When Haku disappears we are worried. Sometimes he wanders off, but it has been three days, and Mahiro is distraught. The snow is deep, and cold, and unless he has found shelter he may well be dead. The thought saddens me. He was a good companion, a good guard dog, and a friend for Mahiro.

'_Mayumi, we _have _to go look for him! What if he's hurt or-'_

'_It's snowing outside, dear, we could get lost and hurt ourselves-'_

'_But-we can't just-' _She is glaring at me, furious and angry and frightened. Her jaw is set tight and I am worried she will run off into the storm alone.

'_Mahiro, sweetie…' _I move forward and place my hands on her shoulders _'…when this snow stops, we'll go look for him.'_

Some part of her face looks like she wants to argue further, but she sighs heavily and lowers her head.

'_It's just…Haku…'_

'_I know.' _I pull her close and hug her. Haku is her only friend, only mine as well, unless you count the sparrows that I feed with the spare seed _'We'll go look for him when the snow stops, ok?'_

She mumbles her response, rubbing the tears from her eyes.

When it stops snowing, she yells and pulls me outside, we cannot wait.

**14.**

As we start walking, it begins to snow lightly, again. I bite my lip and say nothing, Mahiro won't go back inside though; she is a willful child. I can only pray to the local kami to protect us.

'_Haku! Hakuuuuuu!' _She yells into the snow. At least it is still light.

An icy blast of wind hits me and I tighten my straw cape around me, shivering. I look up, wanting to tell Mahiro to stay close so that we don't get lost.

But she's gone.

'_Mahiro!' _I yell out harshly. A cold chill creeps up my spine that has nothing to do with the wind. I wait, tense.

'_MAHIRO!'_

I start running, stumbling forward as I frantically try to follow her footsteps. This damn snow has already begun to cover them. Panic begins to rise in my chest. What will I do if she's gone?

'_Mayumi?' _

I burst past some snow-clad trees to see her standing, small figure with one hand on a trunk. I race towards her.

_'Oh thank gods, Mahiro, I thought-'_

'_Mayumi, come quick, I found Haku and-' _She cuts me off, no thought to my panic as she seizes my arm and drags me through the trees. There is a sense of urgency in her face that makes me follow unquestionably. She is speaking but I cannot make out her words.

She tugs my arm again, and I spot Haku standing next to a dark pile on the ground. He barks at our approach.

'_You found Haku!' _I exclaim. Everything seems so surreal. Haku all but blends into the snow. Mahiro looks up at me beseechingly.

_'There's a man, look, Haku's been guarding him, he's hurt. That's where he's been and-'_

She falls behind me as I slowly step forward. Haku whines, stepping up in agitation before bounding back to the pile. He tugs at the pile's fabric, and I see that it really is a man.

He is slumped up against a tree, his clothes ragged, dirty and encrusted with snow, with a weathered straw hat over his hanging head. I take another step. Haku whines again, and I look at him.

_'You want us to help him?'_

He barks, as if in response. Mahiro makes a small noise behind me, but I ignore it.

'_I hope you're a good judge of character.' _I mutter as I walk quickly up to the unconscious man. Haku gives a _wuff, _and I concede that he has never let us down before. Crouching, I put out a trembling hand to his hat, gently tipping his head up.

'_Oh.'_

He is quiet possibly the most beautiful human I have ever laid eyes on, though his face is pale white and littered with cuts and scratches. For a moment I cannot breath. I reach out and gently touch his cheek with my fingertips.

It is like touching ice.

'_Is he dead?' _Mahiro asks nervously.

Hurriedly, I press my fingers to his neck, searching for a pulse beneath that waxy skin.

…

…

…

There, it is faint, but it is there.

'_Mahiro, come here and help me!' _She hurries over as I hook one of his arms over my shoulders in an attempt to lift him. Mahiro, as small as she is, tries to help with his other side. Haku barks, jumping up and tugging at the hem of the man's hakama, before bounding away to the front.

_'You alright, Mahiro?'_ I realize how cold it is, and how thick the snow fall is becoming. 

'_Uh-huh…' _she says, muffled under our heavy load.

'_We can do it, sweets, just pretend it's'_ My sentence trails off as we are buffeted by another gust of wind. I groan under the weight of the man, and we start walking. Haku comes back, before bounding away again. He is leading us home. 

Slowly, we go so slowly, and it is so cold.

I hope the fire is still alight.

**14.**

It has been four days since we found him. He has not awoken yet.

I kneel next to the fire, putting in more wood to make it warmer. A fierce blizzard has started, and it is so cold.

We made it, eventually and after much struggle and toil. When we had reached the yard, I had sent Mahiro inside to prepare a bed next to the fire, whilst I all but dragged him through the door.

We had stripped him, his garments were all stiff with ice and blood, and covered him in blankets. I had warmed stones in the fire, wrapping them in swaddling cloth and placed them next to his skin. We rubbed his limbs warm, trying to encourage the circulation. We sat vigil through the night, trying to save this stranger from the brink of death.

Over the next few days we kept him warm, wetting his mouth and giving him sips of water. I applied my mother's healing poultices to his many cuts, hoping they would not fester and infect.

'_He still not awake, huh nee-chan?' _Mahiro enters bearing the cooking pot and ladle.

'_Not yet,' _I sigh softly _'you can leave them there, thank you.'_

She sets them down before heading off to the cellar to get our food.

He certainly is an enigma. Haku stays by his side, keeping watch when I don't. He has beautiful long, gray-blond hair, the kind of which I've never seen before. His clothes, battered and torn as they were, are of fine make. Very fine, the embroidery on them is exquisite, fit for the emperor himself!

Not that a simple peasant such as myself would know.

He could be a samurai, a noble, a scholar-monk, anything. Whoever he is, I am certain that he is far above our station. When I say this to Mahiro say asks if that means he is rich, and she wonders out loud what his castle would be like.

I leave the fire, crackling happily, reaching for the tea tray by his makeshift bed. Gently, I tilt his head up whilst pouring the tiniest sip into his mouth.

My fear is always that I will slip, and he will choke on the drink.

Yet, I can't help but enjoy this, this touch, taking care of him. I am too polite, too afraid to touch him other then when I am nursing him. It feels improper, and who knows what sort of man he really is. I don't even know the colour of his eyes; I haven't looked, even though I caught Mahiro lifting up his eyelids yesterday.

Maybe it's because he is so beautiful, or because Haku likes him. Maybe it is because Mahiro and I struggled so hard to keep him alive, I don't know. He just fascinates me.

When I draw the cup away, his eyes are open.

I drop it in shock, and it rolls on the floor, the tea splashed everywhere.

'_Uh-h-oh…' _I am speechless, captivated by his eyes. They are so clear, like a mountain lake, pure and still.

His lips move and he whispers softly.

'_My…thanks…Lady.'_

'_Oh!' _I blush. I have never been called a lady before. I stammer to speak, sounding like a half-wit, I'm sure _'I-it wa-s n-nothing…'_

My cheeks flare red again as I realize that I am still cradling his head.

_'D-do you want to sit u-up?'_

He smiles softly and nods. Still flustered, I wrap an arm around his back as he slowly rises. He is shaking with the effort, but we get there. I quickly withdraw, fetching another blanket from the cupboard. Gently, keeping a respectable distance between us, I drape it around his shoulders.

'_Would you like some more tea?' _My voice is back to normal, now, calm. He smiles and nods and I smile shyly in return, feeling silly and immature to be so…charmed.

_'Hey Mayumi, I decided we're having pork in our rice tonight, 'cause-hey!'_

We both turn to look at her and I almost spill the tea again. She stands with her mouth open for a moment, clutching the wrapped up hunk of meat, before scooting around behind me.

I guess I wasn't the only one taken by him.

She whispers too loudly in my ear.

_'What is his name, nee-chan?'_

'_Um…' _I forgot to introduce myself! I feel flustered again, and Mahiro does not help much, clutching my arm with her chin on my shoulder. Then again, her presence comforts me.

Trying to maintain some sense of composure, I offer him the cup, performing a seated bow whilst doing so. He smiles again, so gently, inclining his head in acknowledgement.

Hastily, I grab Mahiro's hand and usher her to stand. We bow, a little clumsily, but at the respectable height, like father taught me, for a samurai.

_'Welcome into this lowly ones home, please, if there is anything the noble guest requires, this one will be happy to get it for you.'_ I try not to bite my lip in nervousness, hoping that I have spoken correctly. There are some lords who will kill you if you say the wrong thing. I glance up quickly and get caught by his gaze, which is a mixture of puzzlement and amusement. It is kind, though; there is no mockery there.

'_And whom may my honorable hosts be?'_

His voice is very smooth and quiet, and his speech is lovely. Mahiro giggles beside me, and I decide that he will not take offense if we straighten.

'_I am Mayumi, and this is my sister Mahiro. The noble beast beside you is Haku, and this is our home.'_

The wind howls loudly and the fire flickers. Another smile, and I cannot help but return it. We kneel. I wait for him ask for our family name, but he does not. After a pause, he speaks again, so quietly.

'_My name is Mi… is Muramasa, and I thank you…for your hospitality.' _

I keep getting caught in his gaze, staring. It is very rude, but I can't help it. It is so honest and…sad.

'_Nee-chan, you should start cooking, I'm hung…I mean, Mura…Mu…uh…is probably hungry.' _Another not so quiet whisper in my ear as she tugs on my sleeve. I chuckle at her attempted discretion, and am surprised to see that the man is dong so too.

I rise again.

'_Are you hungry, Muramasa-sama?' _I feel obliged to offer such honorifics to him.

'_Thank you, yes I am.'_

**15.**

'_Where's your homeland, oni-sama?'_

'_It's a secret place, hidden in the mountains.' _He smiles affectionately at her.

_'Which mountain?'_

'_Ah, that's a secret, Mahiro-san!' _he says, tapping his nose.

'_Aww…'_

I smile to myself as I pass by, shifting my grip on our axe. I am surprised at his kindness and tolerance to her, peasant girl-child that she is. He doesn't even mind her calling him 'brother.' Most of our visitors ignore Mahiro completely. I think she is rejoicing in the attention he gives her, and it makes me happy.

Only a week ago he was on the brink of death, yet now he sits before her, healthy and hale. I am amazed.

It is strange, he seems to fill up a hole in this house that I never knew was there.

I leave the house and go to the back yard where our wood block is kept. We have run out of kindling, which we will need if we want to start the fire tonight. I am happy to let Mahiro 'entertain' our guest, I think that she amuses him.

The air is crisp outside, the dreadful blizzard has passed, but it will be many months until spring arrives. All the surrounding area is covered in a thick layer of snow, and the distant mountains cradling out little valley.

Grabbing two chunks of deadwood, I set one on the wood block. Our wood axe is big and heavy, but Father used to be able to handle it with ease. I pause for a moment, remembering watching him swing the axe down to cleave the wood neatly in two.

I sigh and heft up the axe. I am not strong enough to do that. It normally takes two or three swings for me to split the wood.

_Chlunk…_

_Chlunk…_

_Chlunk…_

I pause to wipe the sweat from my brow.

_Schunk!_

It splits, finally.

_'Mayumi-san, what are you up to?'_

I jump at his voice, almost dropping the axe. I turn to see him standing near, hands out questioningly. Was that a flash of concern in his voice? I'm not sure, I'm confused.

'_I-I'm chopping wood. We've run out of kindling, so I must chop some more.'_

He steps forward, a little hesitant, before stretching out a hand.

'_Please, let me do it for you then.'_

I stare, wide-eyed in disbelief.

'_Y-you?' _I stammer, unsure of his intentions. Does he really expect me to let him, a lord, chop the wood? It is peasants work! _'You're s-still recovering! Really, there's no need. I've been doing this for years.'_

He smiles gently, before taking the axe from my hands.

'_Then you'll be able to tell me if I'm doing it right.' _He leans down and sets the log half back on the block.

'_N-no! Muramasa-sama, I can't let you, really!' _Surely it must be unheard of. I step forward to take back the axe, but he straightens and smiles and I falter.

'_Why ever not? I don't mind.'_

'_You-you're a_ lord,_ you cannot not possibly be expected to do such mule work, that is for the likes of us to do!' _

He is frowning slightly at me now. It occurs to me that I have never seen him frown before now. I gnaw at my lip worriedly, hoping I have not offended him somehow.

'_Muramasa-sama, you are a lord, or certainly of noble birth,' _I bow low, embarrassed and flustered _'I…surely you are…and…I cannot let you work as if you were of my station, when you so clearly are not.'_

He is silent, and I am afraid to look up.

_'Mayumi-san, please, do not treat me with such deference…'_ His hands lightly touch my shoulders, urging me to straighten. His voice is quiet _'I am an exile, which means, I should not exist. I am nothing, now.'_

It is me who is now frowning, as confused as ever. Seeing my face, he tries to smile, but it is so sad, it makes my heart ache.

_'Muramasa-sama-'_

'_Please, let me do this small favor for you, you and your sister have been so kind.' _He looks away again, wistful. I clasp my hands and shiver at the light breeze that has just touched our skin _'I will not trouble you for much longer, tomorrow…yes, tomorrow I must leave.'_

'_Oh, no!' _I step forward automatically and take one of his hands. Something akin to panic rose in me at his words of leaving _'Surely not tomorrow…we are still in the thralls of winter. Please, it is dangerous to travel this time of year. Stay with us, until spring, at least!'_

I bite my lip to stop myself from going on, imploring him with my eyes. As brazen as I am being, I cannot take back my words, nor do I want to. I genuinely want him to stay.

Slowly, I lower my eyes. Why would he want to stay here, in our small, rickety hut? He still has not spoken and I step back, releasing the hand I had grasped.

'_I…I understand…if you do not want to stay…' _My voice is very quiet, and I try not to let it quaver. My eyes feel tingly, and I wonder if I am going to cry. I begin to turn away so that he will not see if I do.

'Mayumi…' I look back to see him fingering the axe. 

'_The offers there, Muramasa-sama, if you want it.' _

He looks up, and smiles.

**16.**

Winter is always a struggle. It is a test of endurance, a show of how well you've prepared in the warm months of summer. Our stockpiles are never bursting at the rim, but we get by, Mahiro and I.

There are three of us, this winter, and though we will have to be slimmer with our meals, I don't mind at all. Muramasa-sama fills up this house, a complement to Mahiro's youthful energy and my own subdued presence. He makes us laugh, listens to Mahiro, he smiles at me, and I believe I have never felt happier.

He insists to help me around the house, despite my protests. He makes me teach him how to chop wood, stock the fire properly for cooking, how to heat the bath water, wash our linen and how to iron them using a flat, heated stone. I even teach him how to weave dry straw into baskets and tatami mats.

He tries his hand at sewing, and cooking, but after a few days of bleeding thumbs and very dry rice, I convince him to leave those jobs to me.

I discover he is good with his hands. He can make things, fix them, it is a blessing. He says he just has a knack for crafting things with his fine, long hands, but he smiles as if there is a secret to it. Pots, bowels, tools, stools, he even manages to patch up our house, far better then I could have done myself.

Soon, he is no longer 'Muramasa-sama', but 'Muramasa.' And I am not 'Mayumi-san' but only Mayumi.

In the long nights of winter, we sit by the fire and talk. Winter gives many hours for small chores. I sit and sew; mending Mahiro's torn kimonos while she sits beside me doing her letters. Paper and ink is expensive, so we have a sandbox for her to practice on. Every now and then, he will help her, guiding her hand for a smoother stroke.

He saw me watching him as he helped her one night. Her tongue poked out the side of her mouth in concentration, and I had to put a hand over mouth so as not to giggle.

He looked up at me and smiled.

'_You write beautifully, Muramasa, Mahiro couldn't have a better teacher, I think.'_

_'Mahiro is a good student, she learns very fast, don't you?'_ She looked up and grinned at his comment, pleased, before returning to her task. 

Our gazes lingered over her head, and I felt a small burst of happiness inside of me.

I realized I am falling in love with him.

Often he crafts animal statues and pretty figures for Mahiro and myself. They are fine works of art indeed. She studies them avidly, touching and turning them over, naming them like pets. I put mine away safely, hoarding them like treasure to examine them secretly at night.

My favorite is of a sparrow; it looks as if it is about to fly, unfurling wings and its beak pointing to the air.

'_It's beautiful!' _He is seated next to me, watching my face and my reaction. I smile shyly _'thank you…'_

He leans forward a little, and when he speaks, I can feel his breath on my cheek.

'_Look on its breast.'_

'_Hmm?'_

'_I carved something there.'_

I turn the little bird over and run a finger over the carved marks there. Something akin to dismay and embarrassment washes over me. I cannot read it. He is waiting for my response.

'_Um…' _I bite my tongue uncertainly.

'_What's wrong?_' I can feel my cheeks heating up and I can't bear to tell him that I am illiterate. I drop my head down, abashed. He draws away, speaking softly '_You can't read?'_

Has he read my mind? No, his is just perceptive. I don't answer, only turn my head slightly away, letting my hair fall as a curtain between our faces.

I am surprised then, when he draws the curtain back with his hand, tucking it gently behind my ear.

_'That's alright, here…'_ he smiles again, reaching forward and baring the sparrows inscription '_it reads…'_

**17.**

The snow is melting underfoot, it means that spring is almost here.

Ahead, Mahiro chases Haku on the worn path up to our house. After months of being holed up in doors, it is finally safe to come outside again, and she is practically bouncing with bottled up energy.

Beside me, Muramasa chuckles, and I join him.

'_I think we are all happy to be out of doors at last.' _He lifts a hand, allowing a young sparrow to perch on his finger, and I am startled.

_'Oh! They've never done that before! I used to try and coax them with seed, but they never landed on me.'_

'_It's a gift I have,' _The corner of his mouth quirks _'…here!' _

It leaves his finger and comes onto my shoulder. I stop, not wanting to scare it away. It's little head moves, jittery, never still, and I can just see it out the corner of my eye.

It flies off. We laugh.

But a sinking sensation is in my chest, it comes not matter how much I try to banish it. It's spring, and the man I have come to love is leaving.

_'Mayumi?'_

I look up to see the concerned expression on his face.

'_I…I just…' _I look down, not wanting to say it, but am too sad, too tired to lie _'I was just thinking…that…about how you were le-aving, and about how much I…wanted you to stay.'_

I try to smile, but it comes out unconvincing. He has gone quiet, the cheerful mood gone, and I scold myself for ruining it. When he finally speaks his voice is soft, wistful even.

'_I…I have to go, I cannot tarry here…'_

'_Why not?' _I am blinking back tears. Neither of us can meet the others eyes.

'_It…I put you in danger the longer I stay,' _There is a tinge of bitterness in his voice _'Indeed, I should have left long ago, but I was…indulgent…I wanted-'_

The silence between us is painful.

_'I told you that I am an exile. In that sense, I am also a fugitive. My clan…want me dead, and all those associated with me.'_ Setting his hands on my shoulders, he faced me_ 'Do you see? I cannot stay no matter how much I want to, I…'_

_'I don't care.'_

He stares.

I do not know who he had been, what clan he angered, why he had left, but I don't need to. I have never been so sure of anything else in my life. I don't need his past; I need him, the man, Muramasa, who's eyes are still and clear, who's smile lights up my day, who is caring to my sister, who makes me happy.

_'Stay.'_

He shook his head sadly, drawing away.

_'I can't.'_

_'I love you.'_

He stood so still, and spoke so quietly I almost couldn't hear him _'I know…'_

He sighs heavily and steps back. His shoulders sag, like he is carrying a heavy burden, and I can't stand that defeated look he has in his eyes.

'_Muramasa,' _I step forward resolutely and catch hold of his sleeve. He could so easily pull away, but he does not. I will not let him go _'Muramasa, I don't care who is after you, or why, it doesn't matter.'_

Even though he will not look at me, I can tell that he is listening. I take a breath and tell myself to be brave.

'_We have…lived here…all our lives, Mahiro and I…and I-I thought that it was enough, just the two of us.' _The emotion is building in the back of my throat, but I will not let it loose, not yet. I have to make him see that it doesn't matter what forces chase him, he will be safe here.

'_But since you came…things have been so much better,' _Despite my best efforts, I feel a tear trace its way down my cheek _'I-I know we don't have much, b-but we love you, Mahiro too, and I know you care, and that you don't want to be alone anymore. That's why you've s-stayed all this time when you could've left months ago…'_

My hand falls limply to my side.

_'I…I would probably follow you…if you left…please…you'll be more safe here…then anywhere on the road…'_

I feel defeated. He hasn't turned back. I wipe my eyes with my sleeve, and he speaks.

'_What if…what if it were you that was harmed, or Mahiro, in my stead?' _He gives the tiniest of headshakes _'I would…never be able to forgive myself…'_

'_We are more vulnerable without you then with you,'_ I offer softly _'Anyway, it is not your sacrifice to give.'_

How long do we stand there, waiting with bated breath? It stretches out, so agonizingly long and I almost feel like I cannot stand it. One false move and it will all crumble at my feet.

He sighs.

_'…Mayumi, where have you been all my life?'_ It is said as a breath, so faint.

It is not even a question. I answer it anyway.

'_Right here, waiting for you.'_

Muramasa looks up at me sharply, as if he did not expect me to speak. I try to smile, and he reaches out a tentative hand to brush my cheek. He smiles back, so sad and full of pain. I bring up my own hands to clasp his.

_'Stay.'_

He wants to, I can see it in his face, his eyes. I tighten my grip on his fingers. He is on the edge, about to tip one way or the other.

'_We only have one lifetime,' _I say softly _'we have to make of it what we can…'_

A strange expression comes over his face, and he closes his eyes, nodding slightly.

'_Yes,' _He says finally, drawing my hands now to his face, kissing my fingertips lightly _'yes, you're right.'_

**18.**

I smile, glancing subtly at the man on my left. The priest before us flicks a shower of water upon us, purifying and cleansing our souls.

His old, weathered voice echoes around the small shrine as he beseeches the gods for their blessing on our marriage. Thin hands waver before us, sprinkling the water and swinging the incense pot.

I feel so light, so happy, and a little nervous too. The skin on the back of my neck prickles as the priest announces the marriage to the gods. I try to remain solemn faced, but the corners of my mouth quirk, just wanting to grin.

Our only witness, and family, is Mahiro. She is acting as the go between for Muramasa and myself. We need no one else. My kimono is simple, plain for a wedding, but I have no better. We brought the material for the tsuno kakushi over-hood and the uchikake gown in this town, Mahiro and I cut it into shape yesterday. It is of fine make, not exquisite, and roughly stitched together, but it serves its purpose.

I am so happy!

The priest has finished the blessing. Muramasa and I face each other, exchanging the nuptial cups of the sansankudo marriage oath. His eyes are so clear; they mirror my own joy. There is no sign of the loneliness that haunted them when we first met. My eyes cannot but help flicker up as we exchange the cups twice more.

Taking the cups away, the priest bids us to clasp hands and speak our vows. We do. Muramasa's hands are so large and warm; they completely enfold my own. When he finishes speaking, he takes the two rings offered by the priest and gently slips them onto my thumbs.

My eyes are watering, I cannot believe that this is really happening. I am smiling, I can't help it. Neither can he.

Shyly, I raise my gaze again to his as we both stand, hand in hand. The priest blesses us again, swinging the incense pot. We turn and bow low to the alter, thanking the gods and offering sacred sakaki branches to honour them. We turn to face each other again.

Mahiro is grinning broadly on the sidelines.

My husband, Muramasa. Me, Mayumi, his wife.

How I love the sound of that.

After the ceremony, we leave the alter, the shrine; journeying to the room we have waiting for us at the inn, ready for our wedding night, and all the joys that come with it.

* * *

**Authors note: **ok, I admit it, I'm a hopeless romantic.

haha...

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, its so sweet/cute (in my opinion.There was some difficulty trying to get Muramasa's character right, but I am happy with how it turned out. I was always frustrated that they didn't show more scenes of Muramasa and Mayumi together in the manga...ah well...

In case you were wondering about the ages, I've made Mayumi eight years older then her sister, so at the moment she's seventeen, making Mahiro nine.

Oh, and I did some research of Shinto wedding ceremonies, so the last part 'should' be pretty accurate, hopefully.

Heheh I'm rambling again, sorry!


	8. Ever Clear Part 4

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **I guess you all can sorta guess what happens in the end... Anyway, sorry about the wait, I've been busy working and am absolutly tired when I finish, so yeah...but its here! Hope every one likes it.

**Part 4: Ever Clear.**

**What We Have**

**19.**

It is a week's journey from the town and shrine where we were married to our small, secluded valley. We have bought much, materials, tools and so on. We really couldn't afford it, but I guess we were stock piling. I was even able to sell some of my poultices at the town market.

Muramasa pulls the small cart loaded with our purchases. It is warm and beautifully sunny, spring that it is. I don't know how, but we seem to have acquired a kind of entourage. Two stray cats and one dog, as well as a small flock of sparrows, have all followed us from the town. Mahiro busies herself trying to coax them into her arms, enticing them with scraps of food.

'_Here kitty cat, come on!'_

Muramasa glances over his shoulder, mouth quirking into a smile. I too glance back to see the tomcat in question meeting his gaze squarely. Mahiro continues on, unaware.

'_Here, come here, nice kitty-whoa!' _

Nimbly, the cat leaps up onto her shoulder. It paces, shooting another glance back at Muramasa, before allowing Mahiro to cradle it in her arms.

'_See, that wasn't so bad, you're a big softly, really, aren't you?' _She looks up beaming, and I smile in return.

'_Well done, Mahiro, seems like your patience paid off.' _My husband comments, amusement clearly in his voice. I raise an eyebrow at him in question, and he smiles that ambiguous smile of his and softly taps his nose.

I laugh.

'_Hey! What's so funny Mayumi?'_

'_Nothing, nothing.' _I giggle at her expression.

Beside me the cart stops abruptly. Mahiro and I stop too, puzzled.

'_Muramasa?' _

He has gone very still. I look at the road before us and I see why. Three men, who look suspiciously like vagabonds, lounge casually, battered swords close at hand.

Beside me, Mahiro clutches the cat closer to her chest. I put a hand on her shoulder and draw her behind me. I suddenly feel very cold, and my skin prickles.

'_Stay back.' _Muramasa says softly, as the men begin to walk towards us. I glance fearfully at him.

'_Well well, doesn't this look like a happy family,' _One man with long, greasy hair and a missing tooth steps forward _'Good day to you.'_

'_Good day.' _Muramasa says pleasantly. Their leader grins nastily, turning his gaze to my sister and myself. A sick feeling of nausea rises in my stomach, as he looks us over leeringly. He rubs his stubbled chin slowly with one hand, contemplating.

'_Nice couple of birds you got there, mister.' _His two friends chuckle like it's some kind of joke _'they must cause you a heck o' trouble.'_

'_Not at all.' _Muramasa says mildly. How can he be so calm?

'_That's too bad, we'll be taking them, and your booty, from you.' _He steps forward and puffs out his chest. Muramasa doesn't move. I draw Mahiro closer, setting my jaw in determination not to be afraid.

'_Mayumi, they're so scuzzy…' _she whispers to me, and I almost grin despite the situation.

'_Hurnh, too good to answer then, is that it?' _He spits on the ground_ 'Well, mister up-class, your days are done, cause we're gonna take your head, _and _your women.' _

'_Don't…move.'_

'_What-'_

'_I said don't move. One step closer and I will kill you.'_

'_You little shit-' _the rouge snarled, drawing his sword. Muramasa drops the cart handle. It falls to the ground with a clunk, and he steps away. His voice is so quiet, with a steel edge to it that I have never heard from him before.

'_Do not take a single step forward.' _I shiver at the sudden coldness in his voice.

'_Bah!' _The two friends draw their swords as well. The bald one jeers _'We're gonna shut that big mouth of yours permanently, pretty boy.'_

'_Yarr!'_

He lunges forward, thrusting the sword straight at my husband, and I cannot help but cry out in panic.

'_No!'_

But he misses. Muramasa is standing calmly next to him, watching with guarded eyes as the bewildered vagabond splutters in fury.

'_Playing games, eh? I'll gut you, you shit!!' _Roaring, he swings the sword up and slams it down.

It misses, again.

'_Wha-?! I'll kill you!' _He brings the sword up again, but he cannot bring it down. Muramasa has seized his forearm with a single hand, and the man's eyes are bulging out of his head in an effort to over power him.

With a flick of his wrist, Muramasa somehow sends the man flying away and into the dirt. The battered sword has fallen, useless, to the ground. The bald man screams, clutching his broken arm. I wince slightly. His two friends stare in shock, before turning angry eyes towards us.

'_You're dead.'_

They both charge at Muramasa, swords raised and ready. He watches calmly, and my heart is in my throat.

The leader comes first; Muramasa ducks and shoves his shoulder into the man's stomach, grabbing his sword arm and flipping him over his head effortlessly. Turning to meet the second, he just…just _moves_ out of the swords way.

The rouge growls, slicing again at him. Muramasa steps to the side, tripping the man up with his own momentum.

He goes sprawling.

'_Yeah! Go onii-san!' _Mahiro hoots beside me. He gives a small wave.

The greasy haired leader has risen, an ugly look of hatred on his face. He spits again.

'_My blade, your belly, now, pretty boy!' _He jumps at Muramasa, who easily dodges the cut. But the man keeps running.

At us.

He's going to kill us.

Oh gods, I can't move.

'_Mumyo Jinpu!!' _A harsh, raw shout.

He stops, dead in his tracks, eyes wide in realization and horror. For a moment he falters, paused and trembling.

Blood explodes from his mouth, splattering on the dirt and his body turns with flailing limps as he crumples to the ground. His fall reveals Muramasa; eyes alight with his right hand outstretched and straight, palm vertically flat. His eyes are wide and there is something alien in them, something desperate and raw. They meet mine, and I am trapped.

Silence, we are waiting for something. Our reaction I suppose.

Muramasa keels over suddenly, coughing violently.

'_Muramasa!'_ I cry, running to his side, stumbling as I call out his name. He is on the ground, coughing in spasms as I try to help him up _'Muramasa, please, are you-are you hurt?'_

'_Hurrn…' _I still can't see his face. The coughing stops, and he wipes away what might be blood from his mouth. My chest tightens, was he hurt after all?

'_A-are you ok?'_

Finally he looks up at me, smiling wearily as he cups my face gentlyvwith one hand.

'_I am fine, don't worry, dear one, you're both safe, that's all that matters.'_

**20.**

'_C'mon onii-san, teach me just a little bit, pleeeease?'_

'_No, Mahiro.'_

'_Just teach me how to defend myself, just a little bit.'_

'_Why do you want to learn so much?'_

'_Because you were so _cool_ out there, so calm and stuff-'_

'_That's no reason-'_

'_-and I wanna learn in case something like that happens again, so I can take care of Mayumi if you're not around.'_

'…'

'_Seriously, Muramasa, we'd have been in trouble if you weren't there. Teach me a little, please?'_

'…_Mayumi?'_

I look up from my sewing.

'_Hm?'_

'_What are your thoughts?' _Muramasa's tone is grave, serious. Mahiro was right, though, if he hadn't of been there, we could have been…

'_I…well…' _My sister implores me with her puppy eyes. I bite my lip _'I guess…if it was only defensive…it couldn't hurt, could it?'_

Muramasa sighs.

'_No, I suppose not…maybe it isn't a bad idea…'_

'_Yes! Thank you!' _She leaps up and tackles Muramasa with a hug. He laughs and sets her down.

'_Mahiro, what I will teach you will be for a last resort only, understand?'_

'_Yes! Yes, I understand.'_

'_Very well…'_

**21.**

I lie beside him, using his chest as a pillow. It is comfortable and warm, and he is stroking my hair softly. It is peaceful, tonight, the chirp of the cicadas can be heard outside.

This is bliss, I am sure of it. Life is good for us, we are happy. It seems that he has been here forever, even if that is not the case.

We learn more about each other every day.

Muramasa is a sword smith; I was surprised to learn. He says that he just took it up as hobby, and I am dubious. I thought one had to train for years before earning the title.

He fixed up the furnace of the old blacksmith; the one that used to be in our village before it was destroyed. He makes all his swords down there, joking about how he doesn't want to risk burning the house down. Mahiro thinks that it is because his swords sometimes have minds of their own, and that they are wild when fresh from the furnace. I don't know.

Sometimes he disappears for a few days, forging a new weapon, before returning to us. The swords he makes are truly magnificent; beautiful in the way they gleam and shine in perfect symmetry. Not that I know much about swords, but I am learning a little.

He always regards them fondly, hanging yet another up on the wall.

'_One can not help but feel a certain…regard…towards ones own creation.'_

'_You put much effort into making them, after all, it's not that strange.' _

And he'll grin and pull me closer.

It is warm, for autumn.

I sigh. I am bothered by a single thought that has begun to worry me.

Baby.

'_Mayumi?'_

'_Yes?'_

'_What is troubling you?' _He always knows, I don't know how. It works both ways, though. I can read him so easily now, even more then Mahiro, who is becoming secretive as she comes into her teens.

I nestle in closer to him, smelling his skin.

'…_Muramasa…hmm…it has been…two years since we were married…' _I pause. His hand stops its caress of my hair, running now down to rest on the small of my back.

'_Yes…?'_

'_Its just…' _I bite my lip, a lone bubble of sadness rising in my chest _'I…I haven't born you any children yet…its been too long…not even a miscarriage, and I…I think that I may be barren.'_

My voice ends in a whisper. His body has tensed, so slightly, and I hold him tighter and squeeze my eyes shut.

'_I'm sorry…' _I whisper.

'_Wha-no! Mayumi…' _Gently, he draws me up to meet him face to face, brushing the hair from my face and the tears from my eyes _'Please…it…its not you, never you, dear one…' _

He laughs softly, sadly, cradling my face in his hands and leaning forward to press his forehead to my own. I love this man so much sometimes it hurts. I wanted to give him children, like a good wife, a proper family. He would be a wonderful father, I know.

He kisses my lips warmly. I lean into him.

'_It's not your fault…no…I should have…told you, before now, but it did not occur to me…' _His clear blue eyes gaze into mine. I frown a little at his words, waiting for his explanation. He sighs.

_'My…clan…they stopped bearing children a long time ago…it's our…curse, I think, for erring so long. And a people with no children has no hope…no future…'_

A childless clan? I have always wondered about this elusive 'Mibu' clan, they seem so alien.

'_Is that…will that be true…for us, then?' _His eyes widen at my words and he kisses me again, breathing his words into my mouth.

'_No…not at all…we have each other…for the future,' _he raises his head to look at me again, smiling _'We have Mahiro to watch, as she grows into a fine young woman. We can grow old together, looking after her and her family.'_

I giggle softly. He misunderstood.

'_I meant about being childless, silly.' _I reach up to ruffle that soft hair of his and he laughs in realization. I pull him close and he covers my face and neck in quick, soft kisses.

Yes, this is all we need. We have each other, Mahiro, enough food, a good home.

What more do we really need?

**22.**

She is entranced by this man, this new visitor of ours. It's not so surprising. We have lived an isolated life, here in this valley. Mahiro is turning into a young woman and, unlike myself, I do not think she will be satisfied with a solitary life.

I had wanted to hide here, safely. She wants to see the world, I can tell. She hungers for news from the outside, which she hears from the passing travelers that come our way.

This man in particular, though, she is fascinated.

He is handsome, for sure, and his young face is lined with wildness and masculinity that would have charmed many a girl. He is dangerous, unknown, in the way that the innocent flock to and the wise admire. A fighter, a warrior, he is no humble man.

His eyes, though, they are truly captivating.

'_That man…' s_he says softly, gazing out the screen door and into the pouring rain _'He is still out there…'_

I smile to myself, for his reserved politeness charms her, and his mystery intrigues her. He is a cool one, this 'Kyo.'

'_What?'_

'_Oh nothing.' _Waving away her curious eyes.

I admit, when he first arrived, I was a little afraid. From the fire I watched as Mahiro greeted him, and when he asked for Muramasa, I froze. I did not miss the curious flicker of his eyes when Mahiro pronounced him as her brother, or the way they caught on me.

Yet those cold, calculating eyes were not cruel, when they met mine. They were lonely. And when he declined our hospitality, reluctant to intrude upon our home, I felt sorry for him. He chose the night and the lonely rain over company and a warm fire, and it made me think that he was a man who did not know how to trust people.

So, for five days Muramasa has forged his latest creation. For five days, I watch Mahiro befriend the lonely Kyo.

We take food out to him, for he was still our guest, after all. I would break from my work in the garden, shield my eyes from the sun and see him watching us subtly, from beneath the cherry blossom tree. I noticed the pile of chopped wood that was left by the back veranda. I begin to notice the echoes of Muramasa within this man.

Mahiro notices too. She wants to love him, with the same kind of love that I have found. She wants to drive the loneliness out of his eyes.

**23.**

'_Are you sure you don't want to come in?' _I smile, holding out the umbrella. The rain has intensified today; it has been on and off all week. He glances briefly at me, before shifting his gaze away, and I continue _'Muramasa will be returning soon, Mahiro has gone to meet him.' _

'…_no thanks…' _He speaks quietlystill not meeting my eyes. I understand Mahiro's fascination, I think. It's his eyes. Muramasa's eyes are open, honest, and at peace despite his pain, still like the surface of a lake. Kyo, though, his gaze is shifting with many layers. They are wary, wild, like that of a caged animal, distrustful, lonely.

I wonder if my sister is to be the one to see through all that, to see all the way to his heart.

'_Ah, stubborn, I can see why he likes you.'_

'_I am surprised that he would be with a woman, you must fear little. Has he told you much?' _Even now, his eyes are closed as he speaks. I am a little taken back by his comment, but I do not mind. He has complimented me, in his own way. He has given his approval, if it is his to give.

I smile.

'_A little, but his eyes are clear and they speak the truth. Besides, he said that we would grow old together.'_

Now he looks up, surprise flashing across those crimson eyes for the barest of moments. I meet his gaze, still smiling, for I cannot help but do so when I think of my husband, and the love that we share. It fills me with warmth.

He can see it, I know, and that's why he is startled. What kind of life has he lead, where such love surprises him?

**24.**

I run. The demon in mans form behind me laughs as I stumble through the dark house, rain beating down on the roof.

I am so afraid.

Stumbling, I wrench open the sliding door to Muramasa's sword room. My heart beats so wildly; I can hear it, loud and thundering, in my ears. I slam the door behind me and pause, hoping that by some chance he cannot find me.

_'Come out, come out, where ever you are…'_

The voice floats across the darkness, and I break out in a cold sweat.

Oh kami, someone help me!

A painful sob is rising to my throat. Clenching my fists, I push myself off the door and race to the back of the room.

The man said he was here for Muramasa, and his precious sword, Tenro, the one that shines.

_"I made this, and as I did my thoughts wondered to you…"_

My husband smiled sheepishly, as he said that, almost embarrassed.

"…_and the blade…it started to shine…"_

I will not let him have either.

Grabbing the sword-is that a pulse I feel-I clutch it close. The door is blown back and I scream slightly as it splinters to fly in all directions. And that voice floats again, daunting, to my ears.

_'Ah, come on now, it's not nice to run away from your visitors…'_

He grins from behind his glasses and I shudder. Pure terror is rising within me and my mouth has gone stone dry. I back away, my legs hitting the table where my husband keeps his tools.

'_I _am _on, what is essentially a peace mission, after all.'_

Muramasa…I cannot let him down. Not now that I have a true chance to repay him for the happiness he has brought into my life.

I am shaking.

'_No?' _He arches an eyebrow, and starts walking slowly forward _'Really, I am a peaceful guy, at heart, if you just hand over-'_

'_NO!'_

Stepping back with a speed and strength that I didn't know I had, I wrench over the table so that it, and everything on it, is thrown forward and crashes into his approaching form.

_'Well now, that wasn't very nice at all…'_

But I am already running past him and out the broken door. Bright fire of pain sears across my back and I stumble, with a cry, but I do not falter. I will not let this monster have Tenro.

He is laughing at me, I can hear it as I race though the house. I suck in the air, desperate. I am almost there. I am almost out. If I can get the sword to Kyo, then it will be safe, I know it.

I speed up, stretching out a hand to the-

_'Uh, uh, uh…can't have you running out to the Demon Child, can we?'_

My heart sinks and I cannot move. I am frozen. Something thick and wet makes the cloth of my kimono flap heavily against my numb skin. I am crying, for I have failed, how could I?

'_Do you like the effect of my Gravity?' _he chuckles.

No, not like this, he can't be the one to win, this twisted man made if darkness.

But I can feel him, reaching forward for me, and I am terrified. I hold Tenro closer to my chest, struggling desperately against this magic. It doesn't relent, I cannot escape. A numb kind of pain is spreading down my back, brushing my legs, holding my body at ransom. I can feel it but it is not there. I clench my jaw as more tears fall; I am fading. I hear him step closer-

The door slams open, the spell is broken, and he is there.

Not my beloved, no, but his student, Kyo, the lonely one, eyes wide and desperate.

'_Kyo-san…' _I whisper.

I am so weak, but, suddenly, I am not afraid. My last strength goes to holding out Tenro, the shining star, with trembling hands.

'_P-please…take it…_' I beseech, for my strength is going, my tears are falling, and he is staring at me in horror. My vision is fading.

'_Please…'_

I choke, the numbness seizing my entire body and I crumple. The taste of my own coppery blood on my tongue as I sink forward into his arms.

_Muramasa, my love, Mahiro, dear one,_ I think, as the world turns to black. I have one last vision of them, dancing before my eyes, smiling.

So clear, even as my spirit fades.

Gone.

* * *

**Authors notes: **Damn, I've gotta stop writing about characters that die, its so depressing.

Yes, I realise that this chapter kind of jumps from happy fluff to emotional tragady rather fast, but thats the way it is. Hope it isn't too wacked out for you guys. I myself get the whole 'aww...' feeling whenever I read fragment 21, even if I did write it.

awww...look, there I go again...

Ok, in response to FlowerGirl's request for a story on Mahiro, thats what the next one is. I thought it would flow well, starting from where she finds Mayumi dead.

Great, more depressing scenes...

Once again, hope I got the script right, this is from my head. And a big thanks to all my reviewers, love hearing from you!

Untill next time...


	9. Black Widow Part 1

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **Here we are, sorry its been a while. I'm taking a little while to do this one, as I still have to sort out some facts in my head as where this story is gonna go. I have a rough idea, but it needs work.

Am currently working quiet hard, which saps a lot of my energy. I shall try my best to keep updating regularly, but no garuntees. Hope you like Mahiro's story!

**Part 1: Black Widow.**

**Crossover and a Reason to Fight**

**1.**

Three vagabonds on the road.

One newly married man, his wife, and her sister.

Kami, he moves so fast, so effortlessly. One second there, the next, gone, I can barely make out his movements too.

I want to move like that, show those big uglies that it's not nice to prey on people.

I clutch Mayumi's sleeve, eyes wide and in awe. I can tell she's frightened for Muramasa, but I'm not. I'm just amazed.

Afterwards, I pestered him and pestered him until he said he would teach me how to do that, defend myself. I want to be big and strong too, put those bullies in their place.

'_Mahiro, what I will teach you will be for a last resort only, understand?'_

Which means, I'm not meant to pick fights just for the sake of it, or rather, that he will always be there to look after Mayumi and me.

That's ok, I don't mind. He takes this 'family' thing very seriously, it's cute. Mayumi is happy with him here, and so am I, but I want to be strong. I want to be able to protect Mayumi. She's practically raised me, all by herself, and I want to be more useful then just another pair of hands for the housework.

The first lesson, we stand facing each other on the slope. Muramasa has his serious face on, and beckons me to come. Uncertain, unsure, but ready to learn, I run at him brandishing a stick.

The sky spins, and I land on my back, winded.

His head comes into view; he smiles in that good-natured way of his.

'_Nice try, Mahiro. Do you know what I did?'_

Dazed, I shake my head slowly. Muramasa holds out a hand and helps me up.

'_That's ok, that's not what I want to teach you today.'_

'_Then why d'ya flip me over?' _I reply, dusting off the dirt and grass off my backside.

'_To teach you how to fall.'_

I look up, eyes wide.

'_Wha-?'_

'In a fight with another warrior, you may be thrown-' 

'_-like what you did to those losers?'_

He smiles patently and continues.

_'Yes, like that. You need to learn how to fall, so that no matter how hard you hit the ground, you can always get back up again.'_

I nod, face solemn, for this is serious stuff he is teaching me. If he's away, and it's just Mayumi and me, I want to be able to protect her. After all, she's the one who practically raised me. She is my one constant. She is home.

**2.**

Four years forward and it is pouring with rain like there's not tomorrow. I've never seen it like this, so dark and gloomy, and I'm a little worried about leaving my sister all on her own on a night like this.

Then again, Kyo-san is there, and I am sure he will protect her if anything goes amiss.

Kyo.

Just thinking about him makes my heart beat a little faster. Another reason I want to bring Muramasa back tonight; I want to ask him more about our mysterious, very handsome, visitor.

I want to know why he never smiles, why his eyes are always so closed off.

It's strange. Mayumi and I share no secrets between us, and Muramasa is always open and caring. Even our few traveling visitors offer some warmth.

But not Kyo.

It niggles at me, I want to now why. I want to see him smile.

Damn this rain is so heavy.

I wrap my straw cape around me and tighten the strings of my woven hat. They haven't worked too well, I can feel that my heavy kimono is already soaked. I am not cold though, I have been jogging to keep my body warm. Mayumi would not be impressed if I returned home sick.

I wouldn't look very good either, not with snot streaming from my nose, a heavy cough and puffy red eyes.

Very attractive.

Sighing a little, I peer out in front of me, trying to gauge how far away I am from the forge. The rain is so thick, I cannot see face past, but my feet know the way well enough.

The path to the village is thick with mud, which now coats my legs right up to knee level. Water squelches heavily underfoot, and my feet are damp and cold.

And still it rains.

I wonder if he has deigned to come inside yet, or if he is still waiting under the cherry tree. It hurts, a little, that he doesn't want to join us, even if it Mayumi says its just his way.

Bah!

I reach the crest of what I think is the last hill, happy when I see the glow of the forge amidst the hazy gray of the rain.

Smiling, I run down hill, a dozen questions upon my lips.

**3.**

_'So he's your student?'_

'_Yes…he's here to further his training, I suppose.'_ Muramasa answers as he wraps up his latest creation in blankets, placing it in a fitted box and stuffing it with straw for padding.

'_Did you know he was coming?' _I ask, darting around his side to hear the reply.

_'…_' He pauses, and a strange look passes over his normally cheerful face. Did I just see him frown?

_'Brother?'_

'…_I…expected that he would come, sooner or later.'_

He continues his work in silence as I ponder on his words, and his expression. Unease and uncertainty were so rarely seen on Muramasa's face. I can only really remember seeing them when he first arrived, as Mayumi persuaded him to stay.

_'So…he came from the same clan as you, the hidden one in the mountains?'_

Muramasa nods absentmindedly as he secures the box.

_'Hmn…yes…he is…'_

'_Is he a fugitive as well?'_

The nod he gives this time is short, almost strained. I get the message; he doesn't want to talk about his 'Mibu Clan.' Not to me, in any case.

_'What's he like then? How much older is he then me?'_

The tightness in Muramasa's face fades away, and he chuckles as he ruffles my hair affectionately. He knows I hate it when he does that.

_'Old enough, little sister. Why, do you want to marry him?'_

'_Eep!' _I screech, blushing terribly. I make a fuss of tidying my wild hair in order to cover it up, but I think he sees my embarrassment anyway. Only Muramasa could ask something like that, that that would hit so close to home!

He chuckles again, and I am glad that he is back to his normal self again. We both don our outer ware; the thick kimono's, straw capes and thick, semi waterproof, boots. Muramasa hoists the sword box onto his back as I grab the lantern that will guide us home.

It is dark outside. We grin at each other, bracing for the rain, and step into the night.

**4.**

True fear, true horror, true panic, and true anger found me that night.

It was only the bloodied corpses of the misshapen Mibu that told me that everything was so wrong. Muramasa, beside me froze, in a daze and in shock, whilst I ran, blood pumping and eyes wide, into the small house we called home.

Still the rain fell.

The open door beckoned, like a yawning black mouth, and I was almost relieved when I saw Kyo standing there.

Then I saw the drawn sword, then the blood splattered on the door, and then my sister, my beloved, beautiful sister, lying like a broken doll on the ground.

I broke, my heart broke. I screamed.

Kyo did not move.

I saw the blood on the sword-didn't Muramasa say that sword was special-and the bile rose in my throat, and the anger burned itself into my bones as the grief poured itself out of my eyes.

And Mayumi, so small and fragile-she never seemed so vulnerable before-lay dead, like she had been tossed there so carelessly by a child.

'_AAHHGH_!' 

I forget everything as I attack him, teeth bare, eyes flashing, nails out and tearing at his flesh, and all that bastard does is look away and step back.

_'Why have you DONE this?!'_

I crumple to the floor, the grief swamping me, overwhelming all my senses, drowning me. I can't breath, this breath isn't mine, it should be Mayumi's. She should be breathing, she has to be.

I howl.

_'Mayumi, Mayumi, MAYUMI! HAHHHGGGH!'_

My throat burns, fiery, as I scream my sorrow, my anguish, clawing now the blood soaked tatami mat into tattered shreds.

Him, I jerk my head up to glare at him. The betrayer, murderer, and through my hair my gaze seethes, burns into his own blood red eyes.

'_I will kill you for this.' _My voice is a harsh whisper, and he almost flinches as he looks away again.

He flees.

I do not follow.

_'ON MAYUMI'S BLOOD, YOU WILL DIE FOR THIS, DEMON EYES KYO!'_ I scream my banshees cry to his fleeing back, his death call, and I dig my fingernails deeper into the floor. 

'_h-AARRRRHH!' _I wail, crumpling again, sobbing, weeping, and slowly, I crawl to my sister's side.

'_Mayumi, Mayumi, no…' _Sobbing, I cradle her head in my lap, rocking back and forth as I repeat her name like a mantra. Surely she's not really dead. Surely she will open her eyes soon. If I say her name enough, surely she will hear me and reply.

But she isn't waking, and I am gasping in heavy chunks of air as over and over I say her name. I brush my shaking hand through her lovely hair, holding her closer. How many times has she done that to me, when I was hurt or sad?

'_Mayumi…'_

Her blood is on me now, maybe it is even mine, I want it to be.

Mayumi, my sister, my family, my home.

Gone.

**5.**

We stand silent at her grave.

I have not spoken to Muramasa since that night. I cannot. My voice has burnt itself out; all I can manage is a breathy, rasping wheeze.

It does not matter. I have nothing to say to the man who will not avenge my sister, his own wife.

I begged him to go after Kyo, on my knees. I begged him to take up a sword and catch Kyo so that we could kill him for killing Mayumi, make him suffer, but he shook his head with empty eyes and did nothing.

'_I…I cannot.' _And he stared at his hands, lost and broken.

The hollow shell of her body is wrapped in our finest linen, clothed in her finest kimono-her wedding one. Cloudy eyed, we cast down the dirt with our bare hands until the grave is full.

It is raining again.

I want to scream. Again.

I am numb. I am angry, furious. I am alone.

'_We have…to go after…him.' _I rasp slowly.

_'I cannot.'_

I glare at him, angry, always angry. This anger will never end.

'_Why? Do you not…care…that she is gone?' _It is painful to speak, but I force those bitter words out of my mouth _'We…fed him…cared…and he…'_

'…'

His silence infuriates me.

'_He must suffer!'_

Something has gone from Muramasa; he is falling inward. His eyes are sunken and dull. This rain cloaks his figure, he is shrinking, and it angers me that he will do nothing.

_'Why will you not he-lp me!'_

'_I…cannot…' _He hangs his head, his hands, limp dirty and useless by his sides _'I cannot do anything…I…'_

He falls to his knees, unaware and uncaring of the mud and water, and this time, it is not me that is screaming.

_'UAAAHHGHH!'_

It pierces the night, as he screams to the rain and to the heavens.

'_Coward.' _I call him.

I turn my back on him and walk away.

**6.**

_'I'm leaving.'_

For the first time in five days he looks at me. Disheveled and dirty, for five days and nights he has sat by Mayumi's freshly dug grave. Pitiful, pathetic figure, and the scorn rises in me.

I will no longer stand it. If he will do nothing, them I will. I may be a mere peasant girl, but my desire for justice, for revenge is as every bit as true and as pure as that of any samurai.

_'I am going to Edo, to look for him. I am sure there are others he has wronged, and I will find them in Edo, and they will help me find him and kill him.'_

It is not the best plan, there are many holes in it, I know, but I cannot achieve justice on my own. I am not strong enough.

Muramasa's face is drawn, haggard, and he looks very old.

He sighs, a long, slow, old man's sigh.

_'Edo…'_

'_Yes.' _I reply, crypt.

_'Mahiro…you…are not strong-' _

_'I know.'_

He looks into my face for a long time, and I know he can see my determination, my anger, my conviction. He knows he cannot sway me.

He nods slowly, sadly, and begins to speak quietly.

_'Edo…then you must go to the Shogun.'_

'_Wha-'_

'_You must go to the Shogun,' _He repeats, soft voice steady _'The Shogun, tell him that you have vital information about the Mibu and their involvement at Sekigahara. Tell him that in exchange for this information, you want to train under his Ninja's of Iga.'_

I step back, confused, wary. What is he telling me?

'Tell them that you will only give this information to Ieyasu himself, and only after they have agreed to train you.'

'_Wha…I don't…but…what information do I have?'_

Muramasa's shoulders droop lower, and for a moment, he too looks like a worn doll, almost broken. He doesn't reply immediately.

When he does, it is in a slow, steady voice that seems to go on forever. Listening to him, my eyes widen and my mouth drops as I comprehend his words. I feel as if I am hypnotized, I do not move.

I listen.

What he says, it just…might…work.

And when he is finished, I walk out the room without a word, clutching the letter with his signature on it tightly in my fist. I pack a small bundle of provisions. I bade farewell to Haku. I leave.

I swear, Mayumi-where ever you are-I swear to avenge you.

On my life.

* * *

**Authors note: **I imagine that Mahiro would be pretty pissed at Muramasa for not helping her get revenge on Kyo. It seems to me that he had an idea that Kyo was not to blame and understood what Kyo was doing/thinking when he let Mahiro believe that he was guilty. I have an urge to write a one shot about Muramasa at this moment. I won't include it here, so keep an eye out for it if I do actually write it.

One thing that bugs me about Mahiro is how the hell did she actually get Ieyasu and the Iga ninja's to train her? She's a peasent girl from nowhere, and far older then when ninja's normally start training, and why would they in the first place? That's the sorta stuff I wanna figure out while I'm writing this.

Anywho, hope you liked it, and thanks to all who reviewed.


	10. Black Widow Part 2

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note:** Chapter two up, dang, its a long one.

Enjoy.

**Part 2: Black Widow.First Step to Strength**

**7.**

The journey is long.

And hard.

I am completely alone as I walk these worn roads. At night I stare at the stars and sometimes tears will fall from my face, but apart from that I am numb. In some ways I still cannot believe that I am here, leaving the valley and the home that has sheltered me for these past fifteen years.

I cannot believe that Mayumi is dead.

I pinch my self to make my self believe. Remind me of my anger, and I do. Trust me I do.

Slowly, my sandals fall apart, worn down by hard, dirt road that is now my only companion. My kimono is tattered and frayed. There is dirt and dust stuck to my skin and I think that I must look like a ghost. Certainly, the last town I passed, no one approached me. They all shied away, warding away any misfortune I bring with muttered curses and old hand gestures.

I do not care.

I bought more food, placing the coin wordlessly on the counter, and stared vacantly as the shop keeper nervously handed over his goods, careful all the while to avoid my gaze.

I do not care.

I have never been alone before. Before, Granny, or Pa or Mayumi, and later, Muramasa, where always there beside me. To cheer me on. Now, all I have beside me are ghosts.

I do not care

And when the rouges, three of them would you believe, confront me on the road and try to have their way with me, I deal with them.

Ripping my arm out of his grip fast, I send a tight fist into the first mans solar plexus, down he goes gasping like a fish, as I turn and duck away from another's angry hand that has come to slap me. Fingers dart out automatically to grip the pressure point between his thumb and forefinger. He curses and tries to pull back, and I chop my other hand at the place where his neck meets his shoulder, he crumples.

Which leaves one other, eyes wide as I turn. Then they turn angry, and he curses, calls me _bitch,_ and pulls out a battered looking knife.

I do not care.

I watch, distant, as it cuts empty air, for I have stepped away. Use the momentum, grasp his arm and pull, wrench, and he stumbles forward, falling on his face. In the dirt.

He is getting up, and something in me snaps and I run over fast and kick at him. Kick that slimy, scuzzy bastard who would hurt a girl all on her own. One viscous kick in the head, the temple to be exact, and he goes down.

I don't stop kicking him, though. I kick the unconscious body again and again, so angry and I don't even notice the tears that are falling down my face. I kick and I kick, and it is only the moan of one of his fellows that breaks the cycle.

I blanch.

I suddenly realize what I've done, and something in my stomach turns to water. I've just taken down three men. Is that blood on one? Have I killed him? Oh _gods. _Fear and horror, burst up my spine and fizzle through every nerve under my skin.

I panic.

In a flash, I grab the knife from the limp hand and sprint away.

Far away, until the panic fades into heavy, gasping breaths, the fear is drummed away with each loud footfall and all I can hear is the pounding of my blood in my ears.

And when I finally slow down, I am calm. I realize something.

It was them or me.

And if…if I am to avenge my sister, it will always have to be me.

**8.**

Edo is…like a dream.

It has taken me weeks to get here, weeks of loneliness, of cold nights looking up at the bare sky, and remembering when Mayumi and I used to do this in summer. Of hunger and of fear. Yes fear, I have been so scared at times. Only three times since the first fight have I had to defend myself from lecherous men, and each time it has left me shaken. Especially when I accidentally gutted the last man.

I vomited when I saw him clutch at his insides, trying to stuff them back into his body even as he fainted from blood loss and died. Then again, he was asking for it.

But, each time, I have not sprinted away in horror or fear. I rummaged through their things, taking what little money and food they had.

I guess its called survival.

Edo, though, it is beyond anything I have ever imagined.

The people, there are so many of them. Cluttering up the streets, bustling past each other, and the noise! So much noise all the time. Talking, shouting, laughing, bargaining, it almost overwhelms me. Food stalls and medicine shops, cloth merchants and lantern makers, it seems as if you could find anything here on these streets. Colours and shaped and sound, they are everywhere, and I have to look up to the sky to remember that I am still on this earth, and that I have not wandered into some spirit world.

So I wander through these crowded streets, staring wide eyed at everything, I can't help it.

A bunch of tattered looking children run past me, squabbling endlessly, and I stare after them. Sighing, I continue on, searching for a place where I can stay the night.

Its only when I find one, and I reach for my purse to pay, do I realize that I've been pick pocketed.

**9.**

I work off my dept to the inn by cleaning for them. I have no idea how to waitress, or cook properly, but I can clean. Mayumi and I kept a clean house.

A lump rises painfully in my throat at the thought of her.

They do not pay me in coin. I work, and I get a place to sleep, and two full meals a day. They move me to a smaller room, but that's alright with me. I guess I will stay here, just until I figure out a way of getting to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

It sounds impossible, but it is the best, and only chance I have. I never realized how big Edo is. Finding that bastard Kyo in here, let alone in the whole of Japan, on my own is impossible.

So each day, after I have worked off my debt for the last night, I venture tentatively onto the streets of Edo, and I listen. I worked out pretty quickly that asking questions only gets you so many answers if you are not a paying customer. Even if I am young and smile sweetly.

Edo is a city where the money is all.

I have no spare cash. I listen.

I sought out the teahouses where the Shogun's men go to drink and be entertained. I hide in the shadows, pretending to be a maid of some sort, and am ignored. Slowly, slowly, I am getting more information that will let me put Muramasa's plan into place.

'_Have you heard the news? Ieyasu-sama's furious.'_

I stiffen from where I am pouring out saki, interested. I try and inch closer to where the two samurai are talking.

'_About Uesugi? Grn…I've heard rumors, but who knows what is the truth these days.'_

'_Yes, but this is official.' _The younger of the two pauses to sip some saki. His friend rises an eyebrow, and he continues _'Uesugi Kagekatsu, one of the regents old Hideyoshi appointed for his son, has defied Ieyasu's orders.'_

'_What? How?'_

The younger man nods slowly, as if stating a sad truth.

'_He's building up an army. Ieyasu himself demanded that Uesugi come to Kyoto himself to explain his actions before his holy Emperor-'_

'_Wha-!' _Even I'm shocked at that. Even Tokugawa Ieyasu has not yet been officially endowed with the title Shogun, everyone in Edo seems to believe he is as good as one. But ordering another Lord to the Emperor…

'_-and Uesugi refused. He claimed that the Tokugawa's had no right to send out orders, as Ieyasu himself has violated Old Toyotomi's rules.'_

'_Hrn…foolish man, but a brave act. A bold move, at the least.' _

'_It's coming to a climax, I can feel it. It won't be long now.'_

'_You're right…'_

I move away as their conversation drifts.

I have too get moving. I have to meet Ieyasu. He's my only hope of ever gaining the strength that I need. And the only way I can do that is exchange the information Muramasa gave me for training. If I wait too late, it will be useless.

I have to try harder.

That night I am restless. I cannot sleep. Funnily enough, it is to Muramasa, and not Mayumi, that my thoughts lead me to.

He was so broken when I left, so hollow. When he looked at me, it was as if he were searching for a ghost. My heart still aches at the thought of him, but my hands clench and unclench in the moonlight.

I just don't understand.

Muramasa should be here, fighting with me. We should be hunting down Kyo together, that bastard betrayed us both the same.

_'I cannot…'_

That's what he said, and I hate him for it. He is ill, I know that, but shouldn't he try anyhow? Why did he give up without even trying? Why did he leave it to me, to carry out this vendetta by myself, with only his word and his signature help me?

My eyes are stinging with what I think are hot tears of frustration. If Muramasa were here, I wouldn't have been robbed the moment I entered this cursed city. I wouldn't be so afraid to travel so far through the streets in case I became lost in the endless maze of streets, and end up where no girl like me wants to be.

Yes, I've done a lot of growing up this last month. I see the world a whole different way now, and I have become bitter.

Muramasa cannot. For whatever reason he cannot.

I can, and I will.

**10.**

Winter is slowly creeping forward, and its bite chills the night air in a way that makes me shiver.

I force my body to be still. I have to be brave. Tonight is the night I break into Edo castle.

Oh, it was easy enough to find, so big and intimidating, I went weak at the knees the first time I laid eyes on it, and that was in daylight. It was the cold dread that told me that my future lay behind those large, stone white walls.

I had smiled sweetly at one of the guards and asked if Ieyasu ever came out, and he said no. I managed to wheedle some other information out of him too, about how many samurai guarded the palace at day and night. When I asked how could I ever meet Ieyasu in person he laughed straight in my face and told me to get back to my father and my family_, 'silly little girl'_.

I grinned cheerfully and scooted off with gritted teeth and a tightly clenched jaw.

I kept coming back, and I think…I think I can do this.

This afternoon, a procession of servants entered the gate carrying big boxes full of cloth and material. With a small bundle on my back, I slipped into line, next to young girl and helped her carry her load. Her eyes widened, but I glared fiercely at her, and she said nothing.

Which is why I am here now, in this cold night, slinking alongside this stone cold wall.

I slipped away from the procession easily enough, I don't think anyone saw me. I stayed with until we had passed all three inner bailey wall. The main keep of the castle is an impressive sight, and country girl I am, I paused for a few moments upon first sighting it. Someone shoved me out of my reverie, and I remembered where I was.

I stole dark men's clothes from the inn master, as well as rope, some money, and some strips of linen. I felt bad, stealing all that stuff when they have been more then nice to me, but I have no choice. Either I succeed tonight or I greet the dawn with a slit throat, so a little theft seems like nothing.

Because this. Is. It.

Slowly, quietly, I creep alongside that wall, straining my eyes to see through this moonlit night. Each step is careful, but I am close now.

All afternoon I have been slinking around the gardens, hiding in trees and behind ornamental 'harmony' rock features should any one approach. My nerves are so fray, it's been a long afternoon and I have been very lucky.

Now evening has set in, allowing me to use the shadows as effective cover. I'm nervous, excited in a jittery sort of way that has to be repressed. As far as I am aware, no one has noticed me here. Yet.

Glancing over my shoulder, I scan the garden courtyard once more. It's clear, and crouched, I run from the bailey wall to the wall of the castle. My heart is in my throat, and I can feel the sweat on my palms and down my back.

I touch the smooth stone with an out stretched hand and crouch low, feeling a small swell of victory. I half believed that I would be taken down by an arrow. I wait for the alerting shouts of the guards, but there are none. Licking my dry lips, I crawl forward again. My target is the largish pine tree next to the building corner. My back aches from running low, but I can't risk anything at this stage, or at any other.

Reaching the tree, I gaze up at its branches, checking out the distance between it and the first roof level. It had looked like my best bet in the daylight, and I can only hope that I will be able to clear the distance.

Wiping my sweaty palms on the stolen pants, I bite my lip and slowly straighten, close to the tree of the trunk.

And then, I begin to climb. It is excruciatingly slow, and painful. I feel as if every rustle of pine leaves, every sharp intake of breath, every scrambling handhold is horribly loud, alerting even the furthermost, sleepiest guard to my presence. My shoulders and arms protest I haul myself up higher.

_Just a little bit more_, I tell myself.

Finally the branches thin out, and the roof is just above me. I can go no further. I brush my hair, sticky with pinesap and leaves, out of my face with one hand, before checking the straps on my pack again. Carefully, with the same hand, I grasp the coil of rope I stole and pull it out.

Ok.

The coil is heavy in my hands, good quality. There is a rough looking hook-something I else I stole from meat merchant-tied to one end, in a knot that I pray will hold my weight.

Scanning the garden below again, I secure my position in the tree, both feet solid on different branches, whilst I lean my lower torso against the trunk for support. Tentatively, I release my grip on the tree and straighten my upper spine, and, leaning forward, I begin to swing the rope around in circles to gather momentum.

_Please let this work, _I pray,_ and please let no one see me._

I let it fly, up and out.

It clatters loudly on the tile roof and I wince.

No shouts, I relax…sort of.

Gently, I tug on the rope, tensing with every sound the hook makes as it slides down to hit the gutter. Right where I want it. I tug it gently again, hoping it has caught hold.

Feeling some resistance, I tug it harder, and it holds. I give it a good pull, and it doesn't give. Biting my lip again, I pull the rope taught and wrap the other end tightly around the trunk of the tree.

Kami, I hope that knot holds.

There, my tight rope walk to the roof. I glance at the ground, so far below and my stomach rolls over. I almost vomit, and a new layer of sweat covers my skin. Scrubbing my hands dry and spitting on the knot for good luck, I move around to the other side of the trunk to grab the rope with both hands.

_Now. For Sis._

In one not-so-smooth motion, I unhook my legs from their positions, and swing one, then the other, around to hook over the rope at my knees.

There is a painful second where I think that the metal hook has failed me, but it doesn't. It holds.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, I begin to shuffle-pull my way across the rope.

It seems to take forever. Agonizing, as my muscles ache and scream and shake from the fear. Perspiration is heavy and uncomfortable on my face and stomach. Flushes of hot and cold sweep my body and my neck hurts from keeping my gaze firmly on the roof ahead. I can concentrate on nothing else.

Gods this is so damn hard!

And when my feet hit the gutter, I almost faint with relief.

That is, until I realize I have no damn idea how to get from the rope, to the roof.

**11.**

I did it.

Somehow.

I was in a daze for a little while, staring stupidly at the sky on my back as I tried to regain control of my body. I had a seizure of some sorts, a wave of violent shaking when I finally heaved my body onto the roof.

The air is cool.

I stir, and rise. I massage my tired arms, before scanning the view from my new position.

Edo is still busy, I see. The city never sleeps, as they say. Even parts of the castle still appeare to be awake, including the higher stories of where I am now.

Clenching my jaw, I feel the old feeling rise in me; determination.

Still crouched, I creep up the sloping roof, towards the wall of the next story and the small, screened windows it contained. Not so discreetly, I kick one of the screens through, but I had little choice. It was thick wood and I could not slide it open.

_'Hey!'_

I freeze from where I am crouched on the floor. The samurai, ink brush in hand, gapes like a fish from where he sits by the desk. He looks as surprised as I am.

We both move at once.

He drops the brush as I dash forward. He grabs the hilt of his sword and I leap onto his table. He begins to draw and I shove the blade back into it's sheath with one hand, jabbing him with the blade of my left hand at the point where his jaw and neck meet. He flails backwards, choking violently, and I knock him out cold with a punch to the head.

The samurai lies still on the floor, and I tremble at what I have done. The room is so quiet, so anti-climatic. It was all instinct, drilled into my bones by the many sessions with my brother.

Muramasa.

Right.

I shake out my hands nervously and lightly step off the table. Casting one last glance at the prone figure of the man, I softly open the sliding door to peer out at the dark corridor.

There is no one there. My skin tingles, and I suppress a shiver. I really have no idea where to go except up.

I take one, cautious step into the hall way, and then another. I shiver again, and stiffen as a quiet voice speaks in softly in my ear.

_'Well well, what do we have here?'_

Eyes wide, heart racing and fire in my blood, I spin around.

Nothing. The hall is empty.

A sick feeling rises in my gut, telling me I am going to die.

_'Sh-show yourse-lf.'_ I say, but my voice trembles, betraying my fear. 

The voice chuckles.

I clench my jaw tightly and ball my hands into fists. Fear, yes, there is lots of fear, but I came here with a _purpose, _and everything else comes second to that. Ever so slightly, I shift my weight onto the balls of my feet.

_'I said show yourself!'_

Something cuts through the air, and I drop down to the ground as three shuriken embed themselves in the wall panel behind me. Muramasa said I said I have pretty good reflexes, and I think they just saved my life.

I stare hard into the dark, waiting.

Air whistles and I throw myself to the side, rolling back into a crouch and breaking into a run as more shuriken follow me. Ducking again as they hit the wall, I leap to the other side of the hall, wrenching open a door at random and dashing in.

The room is thankfully empty.

Slamming the door closed behind me, I run to the folding screen and hide behind it. I'm breathing too hard, I know, and it-he will probably find me right away, but it's all I have.

I hear the soft hiss of the door opening and I hold my breath, tense. There are no footfalls, and that scares me.

The back of my neck prickles, and on some impulse, I throw myself into the folding screen, bearing down as it crashes on a black garbed someone.

However he is free, and glaring down at me, and I snap out a foot to break his shins. Nimbly, he dodges my kick; drawing out three flashes of silver and letting them fly.

I try to throw myself out of the way, but he is too close and pain bursts in bright flames around my shoulder as I roll.

Shock, horror, for I have never been truly wounded in the flesh before, and it makes me dizzy. Still crouched, I look up, tears of pain in my eyes, and teeth bared and defiant. I bring up one, trembling hand to my bleeding shoulder-gods look at all the blood soaking my shirt- and grasp the weapon currently lodged in my flesh.

It's slippery with blood-my blood-and I struggle to grip it. He is watching me coolly, arms folded, waiting for me to move, and I realize that he is not afraid of me.

_Why should he be, stupid girl, he's a ninja of Iga, _a nasty voice in my head whispers,_ why don't you just give up now, you should have never left the valley, and you're gonna die tonight as pathetic as a dog-_

_NO!_

I am here for a reason, dammit, and I need to survive this!

Standing abruptly, I rip the shuriken out of my shoulder and throw it to the ninja's feet. All in one motion. I can feel my wet blood flowing as it soaks the stolen gi top.

_'I-'_

'_Give it up girl.'_

I stare at him in shock, mouth open and eyes wide. Then I scowl, and straighten my back-and it flares up, the pain does- and square my shoulders.

Before I can say another word, the ninja continues.

_'Whoever sent you was foolish indeed. Did you really think you had penetrated Edo castle unnoticed?'_

My spirits fall in a crashing heap. They had been watching me the whole time? He nods, as if he expected my crestfallen reaction.

_'Why have you come here?'_

Eyes to the floor, I blink back tears of hopelessness, my earlier defiance melting away as quickly as it came. My head shakes a little, and I watch the curtain of hair fall in front on my face.

'_I…no one sent me…I…came here on my own.'_

He gives a snort of disparagement.

'_Loyalty will get you nowhere, whoever sent you was cruel to send someone so untrained and pathetic as you, and they likely knew it too. Tell me who and why, and I will give you an easy death.'_

There is pity in his voice, I am so out of my depth, and he thinks that some Lord has sent me here on some hopeless mission.

Dammit! I want to join them, help them, become them!

I raise my head to meet his eyes; my shoulder wound is throbbing, distracting.

I have to take this head on.

_'No one…I came here because I have information for Tokugawa Ieyasu, important information, and I'll only tell-'_

'_You honestly expect me to believe that?' _he shook his head _'You are an ill trained peasant, any information you have _will_ be false.'_

'_I am not someone's plant!' _I glare, furious, frustrated and angry. Yes, the anger is bubbling, emerging. And people can achieve great things with anger _'I'm here to make a deal with Tokugawa Ieyasu, and no one else! I'm not apart of you're stupid little power war, but I'm here 'cause I need to make a deal-'_

'_None such as you will be making any deal with Ieyasu-sama.'_

He moves forward and a burst of stinging numbness erupts on my cheek and I stumble back. That bastard backhanded me in the face!

'_No matter, we have other ways of getting information from little rats like you.'_

'_Fuck you!' _And I fall to my knees as he hits me again.

Something glints and I see that he has unsheathed a knife. Anger boils into a hard little ball in my stomach. He steps forward again and I launch myself up so hard and fast and head butt him right in the gut.

He keels over and I take the opportunity to knee him one right where it hurts. I step back as the ninja growls.

Muramasa had taught me primarily taught me techniques to defend myself with. I'm not used to taking the offensive, but the simple fact of the situation was that if he attacked me, I really didn't have the ability to defend myself.

So, darting forward, I aim a high kick to his face, to knock him out.

Except he catches my foot with apparent ease, and I have enough time to think _oh shit _before he twists it, sending my body spinning before letting me fall crashing to the floor. The pain in my shoulder escalates, cutting out all other sensations, until I feel my arm being twisted expertly behind my back with calculated, applied pressure.

A bark of pain escapes my lips, and he eases off the pressure, but not the iron grip.

'_Tell me what you know!' _He growls into my ear. My face is pressed against the hard, wooden floor, and I scowl into it.

_'Only to Ieyasu!'_

The pressure increases, and white-hot fire tears at the ligaments and tendons of my arm and I scream.

_'Speak!'_

'_-to-Ieyasu!' _I manage through my short bursts of raw yelps. I can't see, and my thoughts are scattered and dashed by searing pain.

I am sobbing, cursing, yelling, and then the pressure is off and I am roughly thrown onto my back, pinned down by a hand on my throat and a knife point just a hairs breadth from my eye.

'_Do not make this hard on yourself, girl, tell me the information, and you will get it easy.'_

'_I can't-!' _I cry, confused, in pain, and in despair.

But I cling to my purpose, because it was for Mayumi, all for Mayumi.

And what else do I have left?

The ninja watches me cry for a moment, before lifting my by the neck and slamming me back to the floor again with a painful _clang._

'_I-can't-TELL-you!' _I repeat, forcing my eyes open to stare him in the face, forcing my sobs down. I suddenly wonder how much blood I have lost.

'_You will.' _Came that steely voice.

'…_can't…'_

And I faint.

**12.**

Aching, pain, everything hurts and I don't want to open my eyes.

That would mean that this is all real, and that I failed.

How could I?

Something breaks in my throat, but it only comes out as a strained gurgle. I'm startled at this, scared, and when I twitch ever so slightly, a flood of pain sears its way up my arms and shoulders.

'_Ung-UH!' _again, my voice doesn't work, just a strangled groan to convey this fire in my muscles and bones.

I try to move, but it doesn't work. Everything is just a haze, and I don't understand it. I'm confused and drowsy and scared and I don't know what's going on.

I am chained to a wall.

Panic roars my senses to life, and my body bucks forward in raw instinct, only to be jerked back by the fiery pain of my arms and the shackles that bind them. My legs flail, and I moan, as this mind numbing pain is too much.

My arms, numbed from holding my weight, are now screaming in protest. I struggle to maneuver my legs underneath me, to relieve the weight off my upper limbs, but it is so hard. All my actions are slow and sluggish, so clumsy, and it is so frustrating.

Panting hard, I scowl fiercely at nothing as the blood slowly makes its way to my arms. I flex my fingers and roll my shoulders to encourage this, but it hurts all the same.

Slowly, my vision clears and I realize that I am not alone in this dank, dark room. Three men stand before me.

'_She has awakened.'_

Another nods, but I cannot see his face. A dark dread settles over my mind, for this is undoubtedly going to be the end of me, or the beginning of the end.

Whatever, my heart rate just doubled over and is going at a pace that exhausts me. I think I am hyper ventilating. One of then steps forward and I growl, baring my teeth at him, like Haku, through my ever-increasing, short breaths.

I can't get enough air. _Yes this is panic_, some quiet part of my brain says, _but it won't get you anywhere._

But I don't have any other option. I'm trapped, and my eyes dart frantically around the room, looking, searching for some kind of salvation. All I can hear is the desperate sound of my own breath, and I struggle again against the chains, despite the pain.

_Slap._

And with stinging face, I fall back against the wall.

'_That's better,' _a cold, articulate voice says calmly _'I don't have time for your melodramatics.'_

The disdain in his voice alone is enough for me to grab my bearings and reign in my frantic thoughts. I narrow my eyes at the man, and straighten up as much as possible.

_I can do this, I have too._

I think about spitting at his feet, another act of defiance, before deciding that it would just be childish. Instead, I raise my head up to look at my captor in the face.

It is stern. It is handsome. It is lean and old, but it the face of a man who has aged well and seen much. It is his eyes that frighten me the most. They are cold, calculating, and determined. Set in stone, and I feel as if I know that look.

Another black garbed man steps forward.

'_Give me your name.' _He asks.

'_Mahiro.' _I say bluntly.

'_Your clan.'_

'_No clan.'_

_Slap._

'_I ask again. Your clan.'_

Take a deep breath, concentrate.

'…_I come…from a village…that is no more-burnt down…ye-years ago. My sister and I were the only ones left to remain in that valley-'_

He doesn't believe me.

_Slap._

'_Don't.' _Comes that other voice, the cold commanding one.

'_My apologies, sir.'_

'_Why are you here?' _The leader steps forward, pinning me down with his gaze, and I feel like a fly on the wall.

'_To see Ieyasu…sama…'_

'_To kill him?'_

'_No…to bargain.'_

'_With what?'_

'_Knowledge…of…of his enemies.' _I don't know what I should say, what to reveal in order to make him believe. It's so hard, I don' know what to do, and above all I'm so damn _scared._

'_Such as?'_

I say nothing, pinching my lips together.

'…_Why do you carry the sword-smith Muramasa's signature?'_

The rapid change of subject throws me off balance, and I struggle to grasp the question and answer coherently.

'_Uh…be-…v-validity. He is…my…brother-in-law.'_

'_Really?' _He arches an eyebrow, considering, calculating and I tremble involuntarily _'You are aware, then, that his swords are considered Tokugawa killers? Why would he help you help us?' _

I swallow, with much difficulty; this feels like the edge of something dangerous, unstable ground.

'_I…it's…complicated.'_

He looks long and hard at me, and it is so hard to maintain that gaze. I want to look away, curl up in a ball and pretend I'm not really here, but I mustn't.

Finally, he speaks.

'…_leave the room.' _And obediently, the two lackeys leave without a word.

And it is just the two of us. My panic is rising again, bubbling, but I bite it down.

'_Why are you really here?' _And I flinch at the harsh note in his voice.

'_I said…to make a bargain, information for…'_

'_For what? Tell me.'_

'_I…' _Again, he has thrown me off course, and I stumble for the words, afraid to say the wrong thing, for what I ask seems so impossible now_'…I…want…I need to join…the Ninja's of Iga.'_

He doesn't sneer at me, but I swear the room temperature drops with the iciness of his gaze.

'_What you ask is both arrogant and impossible.' _His voice is laced with a barely concealed contempt and disgust, which both shames and angers me at the same time _'You are a waste of my time, girl, and your stupidity and sheer audacity will be punished-'_

'_No! Wait! Please! Hear me out!' _I'm losing this, I know and everything will be for nothing. But I have to make him see. I have to prove that I'm not some stupid peasant girl, that I have a _purpose_, but I am losing grip of this situation. Panicked, I'm holding on with the very tips of my nails, but I MUST NOT LET GO.

This cannot be all for nothing. Mayumi deserves more then this.

He pauses. It's enough for me to continue.

'_It's not…arrogance…I-I need your strength!' _I feel so raw, desperate, but I must hold on.

'_Our strength is not for the likes of you.' _Voice like a knife's edge.

'_Strength is for those who seek it! Not a privilege! You have to work for it!'_

His face is stone, impassive, unreadable.

'…_I-I need it to k-ill a demon…a-a demon so heartless that-'_

'_You are out of your depth, girl.' _There is no pity.

'_I know!' _I cry, letting my head hang, if anyone knows how inadequate I am, its me_ 'I know, but I have to be if-if I'm to have any chance…at…at killing Demon Eyes Kyo!'_

And with that name the anger rises and I muster up my courage, my will, and I throw into his face with my gaze. This is all I have. I can feel it burning behind my eyes and coursing through my blood, and still the anger grows.

'_Don't you see? I have _nothing_ left! Nothing else but this, and this is my ONLY chance of gaining the strength I need to kill him!'_

See this! See my anger! My grief! See how I have nothing else in this world apart from this revenge! See how he has taken it all away? Shattered my life into a thousand shards so that I may never be at peace again until he is DEAD?

He hesitates, was that a step back? Did he hear me? Did he see my conviction through the burning pits that seem to be my eyes and the tears that fall from them?

He speaks slowly, carefully.

'…_Demon…Eyes Kyo?'_

'_He killed my sister! She was innocent! We cared for him and he-he _murdered_ her!'_

And I yank hard at my chains, ignoring the searing jolt of pain, to prove my point.

Silence, and…

'…_I see…' _is all he says.

* * *

**Authors note: **This was a real challange, mainly because I'm such stickler for detail. I'm brushing up on the movements of Ieyasu and Uesugi (the main opposer against the Tokugawas at Sekigahara) so that the time line works out. I even looked up Japanese castle layouts...gawd I'm sad...

Anyway, I had heaps of fun writing Mahiro 'breaking' into Edo castle. Sorry if you expected her to put up more of a fight, but I tried to make it realistic. Hope you don't mind the length.

Thanks for reading!


	11. Black Widow Part 3

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **I am SO sorry about the long delay. Let me just say that this was such a hard chapter to write(and a damn long one at that) but hopefully you can forgive me.

This chapter is dedicated to LittleLinor, who has been a legend in regards of support and encouragement, hope you like it!!

**Part 3: Black Widow**

**Endure the Hardship**

**13.**

They watch me carefully, as if I will snap at any moment.

I don't know, maybe I will. All I know is that I have never been dressed in nicer clothes. They are plain, but they are _new._

My shoulder has been bandaged up too, which was rather decent of them.

It's all so surreal.

I guess I need to make a good impression on Tokugawa Ieyasu. Which is why I'm here, of course. In this room, facing the most brilliant, most powerful man in all of Japan.

He is fat.

He is balding, with piggy eyes and thin lips.

I cannot help but feel disappointed. He is not imposing, I can feel more presence off his five retainers then from him, or is he so skilled he can hide it?

Glancing dubiously at his belly, I think not. I frown, nervous and jittery and unsure.

But there, over Ieyasu's shoulder is the man who interrogated me last night. Hanzo Hattori, leader of the Ninja's of Iga, and the man who let me meet the shogun. He is staring at me, from the shadows, and I believe he must be the real power behind the Tokugawa name.

Why he would be content to rule from the shadows, I don't know.

I am on my knees, bowing low into the ground, but I am not groveling. I have pride, you know.

'_So…girl,' _Ieyasu speaks lazily, drawing out his words in an uninterested manner. He has already dismissed me, and I believe that it s only through Hanzo Hattori's word that I remain here _'I am told you have information for me, is that correct?'_

'_Yes, sir.' _I say to the floor.

'_Well? Spit it out!' _and I tighten my lips and breath deeply. I must be bold.

'_I…I have your word…that you'll help me?' _I take a chance and glance up, staring straight at the Shogun's face. His retainers frown at me, and I see their gazes flicker towards Hanzo.

Odd.

The fat man chuckles and waves a chubby hand in my direction, and it is a while until I realize that he's motioning me to continue.

'_My information concerns…it concerns the hidden clan known as the 'Mibu' and what they plan.' _And suddenly I have the full force of their attention. I can feel their eyes burning into my skin as I stubbornly look at my hands and continue.

'_A-t the battle that will either make or break the Tokugawa claim to power, they plan to act…they plan…they plan to resurrect Oda Nobunaga and…unleash him and his Twelve Demon Kings against both Tokugawa and_ _Ishida__ forces…e-effectively wiping you both out.' _I'm finding it hard to breath, underneath so much scrutiny, it is hard trying to remember every word that Muramasa told me _'Oda Nobunaga will then take the place as ruler of this land…'_

Ieyasu grunts, and I frown. He sounds like a pig, but I have to continue.

'…_Muramasa…h-he also said that it would be likely that…that Demon Eyes Kyo and the Four Emperors will be present too…at that battle.' _

I clench my fists so tightly, feeling the bite of my nails against my palm.

Demon Eyes Kyo…but I cannot follow him into battle, not yet.

I look up again at the supposed soon-to-be Shogun, but he is staring at him nails in an almost bored like manner. Anger and indignation bubbles in my stomach, and I can't help but glare at the man before me.

'_Is that all you have to say, peasant?' _He drawls, and my eyes widen and my lips tighten _'What you have told us is all worthless nonsense. Resurrection of dead men and stories about demons? Bah! Leave before I decide to have you killed for wasting my time.'_

He…just…dismissed me.

My anger is seething, rolling around inside of me, because he is lying, I know he is, and so does his retainers. Their eyes flicker with well kept surprise, and Hanzo Hattori's face is so still, it can't be anything but a mask.

When I said 'Mibu' they all listened, they all believed, and were worried, and he-Ieyasu-tries to pass it off as 'nonsense'?

I push myself up and onto my feet, outraged. I will not let myself be used like this!

Ieyasu raises an eyebrow at me.

'_You lie!' _I hiss through my teeth, and again, I am under scrutiny. They are surprised, alert, and wary, lest I make a move to attack.

'_Out! Get this filthy peasant rat out NOW!' _He barks, and I can see the vein standing out on his temple. Oh, he is outraged, furious even, but that doesn't matter.

'_You lie! I know it! They know it! This rats not so dumb that I-' _Hands seize my arms and automatically I twist out of their grasp.

'_We had a _deal! _And you're tryin' to worm out of it, you-' _And again I am dodging hands, so I run.

Fire, fire in my veins.

Air whistles and I drop and roll and run again, leaping up onto the platform where the fat old man sits, gaping like a fish. His eyes are almost popping out of his head as I grab his flabby neck with two hands and push him backwards.

He goes sprawling, and I go down with him, growling savagely as I tighten my grip.

Fatty chokes, vainly trying to push me off, but I ignore his battering hands and squeeze harder.

'_We…had…deal…' _I manage between growls. He is wheezing, spluttering, and I can see fear in his eyes, and disbelief. His skin is turning purple. I bare my teeth again, snarling.

Then my vision swings and I am jerked back, and I struggle. I twist and turn but I cannot break free and I am being bodily pulled away. My arms are trapped in this iron grip and I can get no bearing on anything.

'_We had a deal!' _I scream at Ieyasu, who is clutching his throat and staring at me bug eyed whilst a samurai tends to him_ 'No one breaks that, not even the Shogun!'_

And I am wrenched away from that room, hauled roughly like a bag of rice. I throw my head back and try to break my captors nose, but I only get his shoulder. I kick my legs back and forth, trying to throw him off balance or to get his groin, but that does not work either.

I am angry, so angry, and there is no room for fear or panic as I am carried down endless corridors.

'_Let me GO!'_

A room, and I am thrown in and I scrabble to get up off the floor as my captor calmly closes the sliding door behind us. I jump back and raise my fists, wired up and ready for anything.

Hanzo Hattori steps forward, and I narrow my eyes. I know I am nothing compared to this old man, but I don't care.

'_Mahiro.'_

'_I don't c-care if you kill me now, you serve a treacherous pig of a man an' he deserved it!'_

He regards me coolly, raising one eyebrow in amusement and it is enough to enrage me.

'_Yarr!'_

I dash forward and throw a fist into his arrogant face. It misses, and again I am twirled around in his grip and rendered helpless. My arms are painfully wrapped around my body and pinned at the wrists and I cannot even struggle properly. My wounded shoulder throbs.

Useless.

'_Just get it over with already!' _I whisper fiercely, for I am sick of this helplessness, this cruel game. They have what they want, don't they? Their precious information, and I have nothing and I am so weary, so empty. I want it over.

'_Excuse me?'_

'_Hurry up and kill me! It's what you're gonna do, ain't it?' _I snarl.

'_No.' _He says, without a flicker of emotion in his voice _'Though if you continue to act like a child, I may.'_

Something…something crumbles inside of me, and my body sags in that unforgiving grip. Empty, I have nothing, I am nothing, and I hang my head and feel hot tears splashing down my face.

_I've failed so bad, haven't I sis? I'm sorry._

I wanted to do so much better then this, and it is a moment before I realize that I'm sobbing softly out loud, and that Hanzo Hattori has loosened my wrists a little so that they no longer hurt.

Something painful and hard is balling up in my throat, so large I could choke on it. The hard lump rises and I feel it burst at the back of my mouth, a loud sob, straight from the heart. There is no anger here now, just me and my grief, and some ninja man who for some reason does not want to kill me.

Mayumi, sister dear, I never mourned her properly. As soon as she was six feet under ground I left to make her killer pay, and I was so full of hurt and anger, I could not let it out properly.

Not like now, because, for some reason, the deadly man behind me is comforting me, I guess.

'_She was…everything…to me. No…no one else-' _And another sob heaves out of my chest, even as I bite my lips to keep it in.

And I realize that the iron grip is not as merciless, and that the hands that hold my wrists are gentle.

'_And so you are willing to hand over your soul to avenge her.' _He says quietly, evenly, and I nod.

_'Yes…'_

He lets me go and steps back. My arms fall to my sides and I can feel the hot tears on my cheeks and nose. I dare not turn around to face him, I just don't…understand.

'_The odds are very much against you, Mahiro.'_

'_I…I know. I don't care. I'll do anything.'_

'_Look at me.' _He commands, and I do. I am not afraid, but wary, maybe even a little resigned. He has seen me, and I know from this moment forward, whatever he says, I will do without question. I meet his stone hard gaze with my own guarded one.

_'You know a little martial arts, and what you do know, you know well. But you are old, Mahiro, Iga Ninja start training as soon as they can crawl. There is an impossible divide that you have no hope of crossing. Do you understand this?'_

Something drops in my stomach, and I am numb. I nod. He continues.

_'You are perceptive, and smart, as well as resourceful, and I am willing to give you a chance.'_

What?

My eyes widen and I all but gape at him. Disbelief swells in my chest and I…I don't…under-

'_Listen now!' _He barks, voice stern, harsh _'From now on, you belong to Iga, you are not your own anymore. You have a lot to learn, and we will be neither kind nor benevolent teachers. You are a blade that desperately needs sharpening if you are to be of any use to us, and we will spare no thought about discarding you should that blade break.'_

His gaze turned to cold steel and I felt a chill run down my spine as he speaks.

_'Listen Mahiro. If, at any moment, should you cry out to stop, if you refuse to continue, if you fall and do not get back up, you will have failed. We will blind you, cut out your tongue, cripple you, and cast you out onto the streets a helpless, worthless outcast. Do you understand?'_

A numb kind of horror and understanding creeps over me, for he is deadly serious in his words. I have no choice, and I have chosen this path, and I must walk down it. I nod again.

'_Do you understand!?' _He barks harshly. I jump.

'_Y-es sir!_' I stammer, nodding again. 

'_Like this,' _he says, raising his right fist smartly before his left shoulder and bowing to it. Hesitantly, I mimic the movement.

_'S-sir…when do I begin?'_

'_Now.' _He says shortly, changing his stance _'Show me what you can do.' _

**14.**

Beaten, bloody and broken was I by the time that Hanzo Hattori had finished with me that night. Long after I spat out my first mouthful of blood did we stop, and I felt that I had been pushed to the very limitations of my body.

And, hands on my knees and head bowed in exhaustion, I sucked in fresh mouthfuls of air as my limbs trembled with the effort of remaining upright.

_'Hn. For tonight, we are do-'_

I raised my head, slowly, and looked up at the man who had all but pummeled me into the ground. I thought about his words before, about the divide that stretches before me, the one that I had no hope of breaching. I realized that if I had any chance of breaching that divide, I would have to push myself beyond all limitations.

Slowly I straightened, raising my fists before me.

Hanzo nodded, and we continued.

**15.**

In the weeks that follow, I am tested, examined and judged by countless masked figures who fly, in a haze, in and out of my life.

_'She is far too old, she is all but useless.'_

They mumble quietly, as they raise my chin and look me in the eyes.

'_Nrrrh…common whelp, how can Hanzo-sama believe she will ever be of any good?'' _

Kossori is the man who takes me through all these interviews, these inspections. I guess he is a ninja as well, though he wears normal clothes. I suppose he is keeping an eye on me for Hanzo-sama. He has a stern face, meeting all questions from my examiners with a no-nonsense gaze. 

_' This is the girl then? What is Ieyasu thinking?_' 

'…' 

My body is tested, stretched. A woman bends my arms, legs and torso, seeing how far they can twist, seeing how much I can endure before I call out to stop. The inside of my mouth is bloody from the times I bite the inside of my cheek to distract my senses. 

_' Tch, is that as high as you can go? Kick higher!'_

At the end of these sessions my muscles feel so weak, like soft dough. 

They test my reactions, throwing wave after wave of small objects, stones, coins, at me and watching as I either try to dodge or catch them all. One will tap me on the shoulder to see how fast I can turn and attack them. They'll leave me alone in a room, and have one stand so quiet behind me, waiting until I notice their presence. 

I run, as fast as I can, across a rooftop, trying to maintain sprint speed as well as my balance. They watch. I jump over hurdles, and every one that I clear, they raise the bar higher. It takes me a while to perfect the technique; tucking my knees under my chin midair and throwing my weight upwards. 

The cartwheels I did as a child are observed, and are modified, changed, built upon, until they become one-handed, and then no handed, and then back-flips. 

' _Hrm…she picked it up well enough.'_

They spar with me, watching my technique, my skill, my endurance, pushing me further and further out of my defensive stances and into the offense. 

I throw knives for the first time in my life. Impatient and gruff, they show me how and I try to prove how fast a learner I am. My aim is pitifully poor. They note down that too. 

They have me scramble up trees, as if I were back home in the forest valley. They have me balance on the top branches and then tell me to fall, watching me drop and spread the impact through palm, arm, shoulders and body as I roll, coming up only bruised. 

I must always stand up again. 

I am told to escape into or out of certain rooms in the castle, as they monitor my skill for stealth and secrecy. They do not tell me how I fare, I can only guess. 

Roof leaps, the roof leaps frightened me so bad. I balked the first three times, and fell so badly the fourth. The fifth, I crashed through the window screen of the opposing wall. The sixth, I ran faster; pumping my arms, I jumped higher; straining my body upupUP, and I soared. 

I caught the roof edge in the stomach, but my arms shot forward and my feet struggled for a foothold and I held on, pulling myself up onto the tiled surface. 

Each night I wearily crawl into the covers and curl into a ball and fall into sleep in an instant, too tired for dreams or regrets. Kossori wakes me before sunrise every morning for the next test, and painfully, each morning I comply. His is the only face, the only name I know, though he has spoken but a few words to me. Each scrap and wound I acquire he tends to in that rough, steady manner of his. He has become my only constant, and in his eyes I see the penalty of failure that Hanzo-sama promised me should I back down. 

Sometimes the exhaustion is so great; I feel a hairs breadth from breaking down into tears of hopelessness and frustration. 

It is fear and grit determination that pushes me on. Sometimes I struggle to remember Mayumi's face, but I know she is there, waiting for me. I know she is patient; that she understands that my exhausted purpose has not given out yet. 

Three weeks feels like three years. 

I have heard of no news from Ieyasu or Hanzo-sama, but then again, I did not really expect to. 

And then, when it seems as if this painful examination of my pitiful abilities will go on forever, it ends. Suddenly.

Groggily, on the twenty-fifth day I awaken, and I am surprised by the absence of Kossori-san's face. Normally his quiet, stern eyes pierce through my sleep as he shakes me awake at the break of dawn.

Sunlight falls warmly onto my face, and blinking blearily, I struggle to sit up.

My bones groan out loud and my muscles and joints nag at me like razor sharp knives. So sore, so achingly sore and tired, and it takes my all not to lie straight back down again. I struggle, forcing my sluggish limbs to work. I feel anything but an apprentice ninja. I feel pathetic.

I cannot even stand.

The pain is not new, no, but always, Kossori-san has been here to hurry me on, to force me to forget it. Today I cannot though, he is not here to lend me his silent strength and I almost feel betrayed.

I hiss softly through my teeth and stagger to my feet.

Sunlight, it is day, and it all changes here.

**16.**

On this morn I lead my bruised and battered body gingerly through the stretches and exercises I have picked up from my tests. They lack form and grace, but my protesting muscles slowly begin to obey me again.

Eventually an attendant comes, and I am given a bath and am cared for by silent handmaids. I regard them warily, even as they massage my tired shoulders, for this is so foreign and unfamiliar to the harsh world I have thrown myself into. They make me nervous and jittery, and I am constantly afraid they will pull out knives on me-yet another test.

But they don't.

I am given a small, decent meal and clean clothes, and I am taken next to a long empty room where I am bidden to sit and to wait.

_This is it, _I tell myself, _this is where the test is, the rest was to throw me off guard._

I clench my fists and wait, still as stone and waiting, listening, feeling for the masked presence that surely must be here.

Wrong again. The sliding door opens and startled at the noise I look up.

Hanzo Hattori-sama.

The man whom I owe all too.

He is dressed casually, in loose fitting garments, and calmly he walks in. My head is buzzing-_what is this-_ for this was far from anything I was expecting and_-why is he here- _I am wary and excited at the same time. Something _–that's your instincts, love, listen to them- _about him, about this situation is telling me that this is what these past three weeks have been working up to.

He nods to me in acknowledgment, and hastily I bow to the ground.

_'Some Lords will kill you if you do the wrong thing'_

Mayumi's voice drifts to my ears, lending a pang to my heart, but I do not think that Hanzo-sama is one so petty as that.

_'Mahiro. You are still here_.'

'_Yes sir.' _I say to the tatami mat below, for I am still bowing. I hear the rustle of clothes.

_'Hrn. Sit up, I wish to speak to your face, not your head.'_

Hesitantly, I do. Do I meet his gaze? I compromise and pitch my gaze at his right shoulder, keeping his face in my field of view.

'_Can you continue this path?' _Will I fail, is what he's asking. Do I think that I am strong enough to survive this path?

'_Yes.' _Automatically, I meet his eyes with my own.

A flash of silver and he has drawn a small knife and is charging towards me. It is almost slow motion, and my eyes widen before the short blade and I throw myself back, out of its way. Landing hard on the floor, I roll into a crouch.

Blood trickles down my cheek.

In an instant, Hanzo has pivoted on the spot and is again flying towards me. I make up my mind.

I sprint forward, as if to meet him head on. Silver glints and I drop my weight, bracing my hands on the ground and sweeping out my legs to snap his own.

Nimbly, he leaps over me. I have a moment of surprise before something _smashes _into the back of my head and I am sent careering forward.

All I can see are spinning stars, and a gray haze of pain.

Shaking my head, I let put a frustrated growl as I scramble to my feet, only to stumble as I am struck on the back between my shoulder blades. Hot white pain flares up and I crumple, and an iron hand grips the back of my neck and throws me across the room.

Everything…is spinning. I hit the ground and a weary groan escapes my lips.

Slowly, slowly I rise to see the silent man watching me.

Pathetic, is that all you have? 

Hell no.

Gritting my teeth, I charge.

I throw a punch to his head, and he swerves smoothly out of the way. Backtracking, I snap out a sidekick aimed for his ribs. He dodges easily, flitting away like a shadow each time I try to strike.

The flash of the knife, and I duck clumsily out the way as he pushes me back. It is so fast, so hard to follow. I let out a small gasp as I feel it cut my arm, and I jump back to avoid the next strike, hand to my wound.

But he doesn't give me time to stop; again he is bearing down on me. I dismiss the pain as unimportant, leaning back to avoid the downward vertical cut.

There.

And roughly I seize the knife arm with both hands and wrench him forward with his momentum. He stumbles only a half step, and as fast as I can I jam my elbow downward onto his exposed neck.

Does he curse? All I know is that an arm has reached back to flip me over, and I am spun over him. This time, I manage to twist my body, landing on my side instead of on my back.

I see the palm of a hand as it connects with my nose and blood sprays. I fall back reeling, quickly bringing up my hands from my face to deflect the next punch he throws at me.

Damn he is quick.

Scrabbling off my knees, I dart to the side as he follows my every move. I cannot touch this guy. A moment of inspiration sees me leap up to a wall and launching off it with a flying kick. Smoothly, he moves out the way and as I land I dart up again with side kick.

He butts away the attack with one hand, moving in again with the knife with the other. I trap his arm under my own and head butt him in the face, and am rewarded with a sickening _crack. _He brings up his free hand to palm me in the face again, pain flares and I let go and jump back.

There is blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. I missed his nose, then. He didn't miss mine, and again I feel the sleek slick of blood down my face and front.

Running forward, I punch out at his face, stomach and throat. He dodges them all effortlessly, catching my arm on the last one, pulling forward, setting his shoulder in my stomach, and literately throwing me over his shoulder with care free ease.

Eyes squeezed shut, I crash through the delicate window paneling, feeling the wood splinter on my back as I fall across cool slate tiles. The downward slope pulls me, and I cannot stop myself from rolling closer, closer to the edge.

NO! And somehow I manage to grasp onto the gutter with my blood covered fingers, even as the rest of my body hurtles over the edge.

Air whistles, and I snatch my right hand away just in time as a shuriken hits the gutter underneath. Panicking, gasping, I try to heft myself up, but my grasp is slipping and I can see him approaching, knife out and ready.

A step away, and he brings it down to stab my hand and I let go.

Fall, broken sharply by the lower level roof -_thank you kind kami-_ as automatically I roll to ease the fall impact. Standing, I stagger, and I see Hanzo Hattori leap down from the upper roof directly at me.

He doesn't even make a noise as he lands.

I intake one breath.

I run.

Along the slope of the roof and I try not to stumble, I can feel rather then hear his footfalls behind me. I am hot-wired as I think back to 'Break-In-Night' and I throw myself into another window panel. It crashes, and a startled some one stands up with a cry, but I ignore them.

Running straight to the opposing wall, I leap at it again to deliver another air-borne kick to the fast following ninja. As he grabs my foot, I curl my body up mid air to seize the hand that holds me.

Improvisation at its finest.

He is still swinging me, following the momentum, trying to throw me. Not missing a beat, he batters me against a wall, but somehow I hang on. Again he trues to throw me, but I stick out my free leg as the arc moves down. I feel my heel connect with something and we both go down.

Landing with a crash, I cannot stop yet. I am free, he staggers, and I dart forward to get him with my ready knuckles.

He looks up, smoothly bringing up both hands, and my own is trapped and I am flying again.

_Whump!_

Air is pushed out of my lungs as I crash, upside down into the wall I have just leapt off and I cannot move. I slide to the floor as he stands, and screaming inwardly, straining amidst the rubble and debris, I try to order my numb limbs to MOVE.

I watch, eyes darting, as he slowly stands. He cricks his neck and shakes out his shoulders.

'_Grn…' _is all that gurgles out of my throat. Again I try to move, and I am rewarded by plain and staunch refusal from my limbs. There are wood splinters digging into my back that sting with each clumsy motion I make.

_'Hey, Pops, what the HELL is this all about!?'_

The occupier of this room is gesturing wildly, dramatically at Hanzo Hattori, but I cannot focus properly. I shake my head a little, trying to clear the fog that has settled. The heat and fire that fueled me has gone, drained away, and I am left so weak.

Hanzo-sama kneels before me, one hand stretched out to lightly touch my forehead. All I can see are those eyes, those stone cold, calculating eyes.

_'-ps, you been attacked? Shit! Where'ya ninja crew, aren't they supposed to deal with this-hey, she's just a girl! What? Pops!?'_

Hanzo-sama ignores the young man, who is peering over his shoulder at me, still studying my bruised and bloody face.

'_Hrn.' _Is all he says, standing abruptly.

_'She's pretty messed up. Hey-'_

I get a glimpse of the young mans eyes, and I feel my stomach roll over. For a moment his eyes were open, and they were…they were the same.

'_Hidetada-sama.' _It was almost a sharp, like he was demanding something _'Do not worry, everything is fine.'_

My gaze flickers from one man to the other. He-Hidetada…sama-seems taken back, as if he has been put in his place. I can see both faces in profile and my dizzy head struggles to clear the image. Something about the nose, the sharp curve of the chin.

I blink blearily. They are talking, but I cannot hear them properly. Other black garbed figures have appeared. _Ninjas of Iga, _I think. They must have been watching the whole fight.

Slowly, painfully, I swallow; my mouth is so dry.

A figure looms into vision, and it is a moment before I recognize him.

_'Kossori…_' I croak, and he inclines his head slightly. Gently, he raises a damp cloth to wet my swollen lips. 

'_Be still.' _He says, and I lie limply as raises my upper body into a sitting position. The wall that I was thrown into is ruined; I can see the room next door.

'_Stand.' _He commands, and shakily, leaning heavily on him, I do so. The man, Hidetada, is frowning at Hanzo-sama when he suddenly turns to face me. Hands hooked in his hakama, he stalks over.

'_Man, he really did you one over, little girl.' _But his voice is merely curious, and not patronizing. I blink at him, as Kossori inclines his head.

'_Hidetada-sama. Forgive the intrusion.' _He says brusquely.

'_Hide-?' _I murmur, confused. Who is this man?

'_That's me. Most useless of Ieyasu's sons.' _His tone is wry. He leans forward to peer into my face and I shy away. He grins, and his slitted eyes open a fraction, and they are-

_Cold, cold like stone, like iron, unbending, unflinching, flint-like and cold, set in stone and- _

'_What? Something on my face, or do you just fancy me?' _he asks good-naturedly and dare I say hopeful? I realize that I have been staring.

_'Uh…'_

So tired, so much hurt, and I can feel my legs give way beneath me. My vision goes, and all I notice is Kossori-san catching me as I fall.

**17.**

Sun shines surprisingly bright as I walk down the worn dirt road. Other travelers, merchant bands and travelling samurai are filtered down the road, but I do not stand out. No, I am simply a young peasant girl, traveling back to home with my father after a visit to the capital.

Beside me, Kossori-san whistles a small tune, seemingly at ease and relaxed as he carries the huge sack of rice across his shoulders. Shifting beneath my own bag, I sneak a glance at my 'father' as I try hitch up the slipping sack.

It is so heavy and awkward to carry. My arms are achy and strained, and I am thoroughly hot and bothered.

'_Stop scowling daughter, or you'll never get a husband.' _He remarks casually, and startled, I jump a little.

'_Ah-s-sorry, K…sorry father.' _I mumble, eyes on the ground.

We are travelling away from the capital, away from the political games and military preparations that hum about Edo City. I don't know where we are headed, exactly, but then again, I never really expected them to tell me much. I haven't bothered asking Kossori-san, I know he wouldn't answer me.

But I am still learning; I must be satisfied with that. Kossori is teaching me how to travel well, how to survive. It is so different from the dazed wanderings, filled with hunger and fury that had taken me to Edo. He teaches me how to light a fire using sticks, how to track and hunt small game. What to look for in the undergrowth to tell of a person or creatures passing, and how to conceal my own.

Kossori-san shows me how to navigate by the stars, the different constellations, the different stories.

He shows me the inner lining of his clothes. They are dark, stitched onto the inside, so that he can simply reverse the clothes for camouflage garb if needs be. Kossori points out where his hidden knives and shuriken are concealed, strapped close to the body, and how to spot them on another person.

I am instructed to study the people we pass, to guess their ages and occupations. Kossori-san tells me that impersonation and disguise are very important ninja disciplines.

'Different classes speak and act differently.' We are resting at a roadside teahouse, watching the people pass us by 'Watch that Ronin, watch how he saunters despite his rags, how he keeps his head high as he passes all people, compared to those peasants. What are they doing?

'_They…' _I was once one of them. Once. Not any more _'They're shuffling…looking down a-nd away from him…the samurai.'_

'_Hrm.' _He nods in approval _'Walk like the samurai.'_

'_What!?' _But I stand nonetheless, keeping the said samurai in the corner of my vision. He is dirty, but he stands tall, left hand slung loosely over his swords. I straighten my own back, stretching out my shoulders to appear big and intimidating. Confident.

'_Now walk.' _He instructs.

Glancing again at the samurai, I step forward, tilting my chin up slightly. _I own this world, _I think, _outta my way or you're dead meat. _I keep my feet low so that I remain balanced. I try not to sway too much.

'_That's enough.'_

I sit down next to him.

'_Shichi Ho De, the Seven Ways of Going, underlines the ways to perfect the skills of disguise. All people fall into seven basic categories; priest, samurai, merchant, craftsman, puppeteer, performer and farmer.' _Kossori-san passed a moment to sip at his tea _'If you can capture the unique behavioral patterns of each, you will be able to blend into any crowd seamlessly in any disguise.'_

I nod, eyes wide.

He points out the small mannerisms of each class as they pass us, and slowly, I begin to see what he means. Each class does act differently, unconsciously. The bent over shuffle of the farmer, the self important stride of the merchant, with clingy fingers to their purses, the slow gait of the priests.

It comes as a revelation, there is so much more to being a ninja then what I thought. There are so many different things, little things, that matter. Studying people and mimicking them. Making them trust you, and easing information out of them. Making yourself disappear whilst still being there.

'_You must be like fly on the wall.' _He says, and I frown.

He raises an eyebrow at my face, and I blush.

'_I'd rather be a spider.' _I mutter, embarrassed, concentrating on my lunch.

'_And why is that?' _He sounds almost amused, and my blush deepens.

_'If you're a fly you get eaten…'_

And Kossori laughs, but it is not an unkind one. It is the first time I have heard him laugh. He ruffles my hair affectionately.

**18.**

I have never seen the likes of this before. Even Edo cannot compare to the castle-city before me.

_'White Phoenix Castle, of Iga-Ueno City. The heart of the Iga Ninja's.'_

I look at Kossori-san, and then back to the gleaming white castle before me.

It has taken us almost two weeks to penetrate this isolated, mountainous domain. The forest was thick and impenetrable, and the roads are small and ill kept, jutting out precariously from cliff faces and fading into the undergrowth on more then one occasion. The higher we climbed up the mountain, the less people we encountered.

'_I…it's beautiful.' _

'_Hrn…'_

He walks toward the gate, and I jog to catch him up.

'_Mahiro.'_

'_Yes, Kossori-san?'_

'_What is the eternal purpose of the Ninja?'_ He asks mildly.

'_Uhm…to protect the Shogun?'_

'_No.'_

I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn't. I wait a moment, then decide to risk it and ask him.

'_Then…what is it?'_

'_It is to endure.'_

'_Huh?'_

'_We are the shadow warriors, secret stealers, the masters of deception. We work at night, behind the scenes, whilst the samurai fight their flashy battles of honour and power.'_

He has stopped, and is gazing almost wistfully at Ueno City. He sounds so old, aged even.

'_Power changes hands, but we remain.'_

Kossori-san shakes his head sadly.

_'We are indebted to Tokugawa Ieyasu, for it was he who gave us shelter when that wretched Oda brat invaded and decimated our domain. We were far outnumbered, but we survived, and Ieyasu gave us shelter, and the means to rebuild our city.'_

Indebted…to the fat man I saw? I shake my head, frowning. I just cannot imagine that man as the Shogun. He is far too over-rated; I just don't understand how Kossori-san or Hanzo Hattori-sama could stand serving a pathetic man as he.

Kossori speaks on, softly.

'_So, we protect him, we spy on his enemies, penetrate the castles and minds of his rivals, and we are happy to do so, but the key, little girl, the key is survival.'_

_'…survival?'_ I echo.

_'What use is the information you have painstakingly collected during your mission, if you die? No, you must compromise, survive, even if it means bargaining with information of your own clan.'_

_'but-'_

_'What I am saying, Mahiro, is that you must endure. Once you step inside those gates, you are ours, entirely. It will be hard. You will most likely wish that you were dead many times before you leave this City. Especially for one such as yourself, but…'_

Survival, endurance, determination. It all seems to come to that, doesn't it? I must not forget why I'm here, the reason that I WILL survive this.

It's one word.

_'I'll endure…survive…hn…'_ I look to the ground, almost blinking back tears '_Kossori-san, I have no choice. I wouldn't turn away even if I wanted to.'_

I can feel his gaze upon me, but I o not meet it.

_'Do not be eaten, little spider.'_ And he turns and walks away.

And I follow.

* * *

**Authors note: **Gods that was a long chapter, hope you all enjoyed it.

There was a lot of stuff in here, just a couple of notes I want to make.

When Mahiro fights Hanzo (aka real Ieyasu) for the second time, he is testing her. He could easily snap her neck in less then a second, but he is holding back, and drawing out the fight to see how wee she copes/adapts fighting an impossible battle.

As of yet, she does not know Hanzo's real identity, but she is a bit suspicious,. Although she does see some resemblance between Hidetada(benitora) and Hanzo, she doesn't actually know who Hidetada is as she most likely doesn't know who Ieyasu's sons are.

Hmm...most of that ninja stuff is as accurate as I could make it, but I did improvise a bit with the tests. The Shichi Ho De, the Seven Ways of Going, is an actual part of ninja training, just as the main goal of a ninja was to survive his/her mission at ALL costs, even if it meant compramising with enemy ninja. It seems as if the ninja had their own sort of code of honour. The character 'nin' apparently means to endure lifes hardships.

In that last part, Ueno City was the captial of the Iga district, one of the birthplaces of ninjitsu. In 1579, Oda Nobukatsu( Nobunaga's son) attepted to invade the Iga province, but failed. Two years later, with a little help from 'daddy's troops' Nobukatsu successfully invaded it. From what I can gather, Ieyasu gave the surviving ninja shelter, so they decided to help him.

Dang, thats a lot of authors notes. Hoped you liked it!


	12. Black Widow Part 4

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **Blah!

**That Old Familiar Feeling**

'If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive.'

**19.**

I bow deeply to the impassive woman before me. She sits in a simple room, clad in a black silk kimono lined with red embroidery. Her eyes all but flicker in my direction, and coolly she lets them rest on Kossori-san. Almost lazily, she takes a breath from her long pipe, letting the smoke blow out from between her teeth before she talks.

'_This is the one, then?' _

The Lady's voice is surprisingly deep, almost musical.

'_Yes.' _Beside me, Kossori-san speaks _'Hanzo Hattori has asked that you take her under your wing.'_

'_Hn.' _And I hear the disdain in her voice. I bite my lip, crestfallen that I am to be put into this woman's care. Kossori-san speaks on.

'_He asks that you do everything…necessary to bring her up to Iga standards.' _

'_Everything?' _there is a hint of amusement there _'What has she done to win the favor of the infamous Hanzo Hattori, I wonder?'_

My cheeks flare crimson at the insinuation, and I barely contain the growl of anger that claws at my throat. The Lady chuckles.

'_You know why, Kuroikumo,' _Kossori says flatly, leaving no room for imagination here _'And you expected this as well. Hanzo-sama wishes monthly reports on her progress as well.'_

'_Yes, yes.' _Bored, she waves a dismissive hand _'Rest assured, I'll will do my best with her. Look at me girl!'_

Startled, I look up into that beautiful face. She stands, elegantly, and slowly she walks towards me. There is a painful knot in my stomach, that twists and churns more and more the closer she gets. Kossori-san is very quiet. I wait.

'_Hnm…' _and, reaching me, she grasps my chin with one hand, turning my face one way and another as she inspects my features. _'You realize, Kossori, that she will never be of any good as a proper kunoichi? She is far too old too learn how to fight and dance effectively. It will have to be one or the other.'_

My eyes widen, as I realize what it is she is talking about. Of course, female ninja would be sent away, to dance and seduce a man as well as any geisha for information. I tremble slightly at the thought, for I truly had never considered that I would have to give up my body in this line of work. 

I feel Kossori-san shift beside me.

Would it be easier for them to train me as only a spy and a seductress? What if they did? How would I ever gain the strength I need to defeat that bastard Kyo if they do? 

She looks back at me again; she has noticed the tremor. Something that might be pity is in her eyes.

_'Ah, so you have an innocent one too, Kossori.'_ Her voice is a soft hiss. 

He grunts noncommittally.

'_I see…' _The Lady says, releasing her grip on my chin _'So, girl, what is it to be?'_

And I look into her dark eyes, and I realize that she will be the one to make me strong. I don't know how or why I have come to this conclusion, I just do.

'_Make me a ninja,' _I say, voice not much more then a whisper. There is a sense of urgency here in me _'make me strong…please!'_

And I bow again, deeply, overcome and somewhat desperate. As I stare hard at the floor, I wait for her, I pray that the Lady will teach me what I need to know. I find myself clenching and unclenching my fists in painful anticipation and nervousness.

The silence is drawn out, and I can tell that she is letting me hang on line on purpose.

'_Alright.' _She says, so carelessly '_Girl, wait outside, I wish to speak to Kossori.'_

Shaken, with weak and wobbly knees, I bow again and back out the room, gently closing the door behind me.

I wait.

And when the door finally opens, it is Kossori-san, impassive face unsmiling.

_'This is good bye, little spider. Take care._' I look up into his face, and I see the care and the worry he has for me. I am somewhat startled at it.

_'You're leaving?'_

'_Hrm. Ieyasu needs me back in Edo. There is a war coming.'_

'_Oh…' _I lower my eyes. I guess I thought that he would be the one to teach me, that he would be here to help me.

'_Endure.' _He says, and he rises and walks away. I watch his retreating back, trying not to acknowledge the sinking feeling in my stomach. I am alone again.

**20.**

She is not a kind master. The Lady does not welcome me with warm, open arms, but she takes me in nonetheless.

Would it sully her pride, to be stuck with a girl like me? I don't know, but there is distaste in her eyes when she looks at me.

I can't say that I really blame her. I know she expects me to fail, to cave in, to crumple and surrender. I think that is part of the reason why I do not. I refuse to give her that satisfaction.

I cannot rely on Mayumi's memory to fuel me endlessly. That is reserved for HIM. So I rely on her disdain to push me ever forward.

So, she trains me, reluctantly, but thoroughly. I guess it's a matter of pride on her behalf to see that I make something of myself.

'_Now, girl, you are in my tender care, let us have an understanding…'_

I do not talk, move, look at her unless I am bidden. If I am told to train, to run, to fight, I do not stop until she tells me too. I tend to her before I do to myself. I often do not eat, do not sleep, only doing so when she allows it. I sit beside her and watch her paint her face. I watch her dance. I watch her fight. I watch her spin and weave fine silken threads.

One day, she weaves those delicate strings through her long, pale fingers. She catches my eye, and slyly, she smiles.

'_Catch.'_

And, so fast, those silver strings shoot out to strike my face, and I am not fast enough. A sharp, thin line of a cut skin mars my cheek, and she laughs.

'_So slow, little girl, so slow.'_

The threads slide back into her hands. I cannot touch them. They are almost apart of her, I realize.

_'Girl, go challenge one of the twelve year olds. I don't want to see your face again until you defeat one of them.'_

It is so hard, so hard. I know so little; I am so poorly tempered. Against the Iga children, raised from birth to battle, I am beaten and pulverized into the dust. They pity and abhor me. I am an outsider, after all. They have no respect for me. They do not trust me.

They almost hate me.

Still, she sends me against them, and they comply without complaint. They too understand what it is to search for strength. Despite their youth they seek for it. They are born to it. Not like me, no, I must seize it with my own two hands.

The humiliation, you cannot understand it. It takes me days, days of training, of fighting, until I achieve what she asks of me

When finally, I stumble back to her quarters, battered but finally victorious, she arches one eyebrow.

_'That took too long girl, I haven't seen you all week._'

And then she will train me, herself, endlessly, endlessly in hand to hand and armed combat.

_'Us of the fairer sex must fight accordingly. Every movement, every motion, must be flawless, beautiful. Every item you own, you must know how to use with such deadly effectiveness, that none else should guess the darkness of such finery.'_

Sewing needles, long elegant hairpins, a stab to the right neck vein, to the back of the head, to the center of the eye, can kill a man most efficiently, she teaches. The smallest of knives, hidden in hair ornaments, as amulets and charms in the obi or the kimono hem, can be thrown with such deft precision to pierce the vitals. Fighting knives carried with pride, tucked into the obi, to be used in close quarters. Indeed, the more I am with her, the more I learn about her deadly, beautiful strength.

Poison powder and tainted blades, she teaches to me too, to weaken the stronger. Smoke bombs and explosives, to blind, conceal and confuse.

There is no kindness, no benevolence here. Dark, harsh, cruel and beautiful is the Lady Kuroikumo. Lady of the night and the shadows, you would be amazed by the things she can do. I know I am.

She is of the shadows, hidden, unnoticed. She is the smoldering seductress, reeking of forbidden desires of the deadly sort. Alluring, she can spin her web of fantasies to bedazzle even the most stotic of men.

She is poison. Intoxicating, fascinating, enchanting. She weaves many webs, some made of silken steel, and others out of words. Oh, she spins her many webs, my Lady does.

Of traps and trickery, she is much learned. Layers upon layers of deception. Cunning.

My Lady Kuroikumo. She has saved me many a time. I become her shadow.

**21.**

'_You have come along, fair enough.' _She says, as she inspects my lean body. Five months it has been, yet it feels like a lifetime. She sighs, almost despondent _'I suppose it is time then, He did say to grant you strength.'_

Again, she pokes at my stomach. I have lost a lot of weight here. All evidence of childish puppy fat is long gone. Granted, I was slight to begin with, but my body is now shaped and sharply toned.

Casually, she flicks aside a lock of my hair.

'_Yes, sooner better then later, otherwise you'll never amount to any degree of usefulness.'_ With a snap she turns and walks away '_Now dress, we have work to do on you.'_

Wordlessly, I do as she bids, both curious and petrified of what my mistress has in store for me.

She leads me away. Out of her pretty rooms and gardens and into the night. The air is crisp and chill, for winter is passing. She seems to glide across the icy ground, at ease with the night and the shadows. My breath shows as I exhale, and I follow.

Stopping abruptly, the Lady stands under the night sky. I fancy that she is embracing it. I cannot help but look up too.

'_Small one,_' she whispers in her deep, husky voice, face tilted slightly to look at me over one shoulder. I fancy I see her smile '_Find me, if you can.'_

And she flies. I am left with a gust of air and a flutter of silken cloth. Faintly, I see her silhouette against the sky as she leaps away and over castle walls.

Another test, I realize. Bending my knees slightly, I flex my ankles and I follow.

Air and wind flies past my face as I sail through the air, landing on the first inner wall, and taking off again in a heartbeat. Faintly, faintly, I can see her before me, teasing and taunting as I leap up and onto the castle battlements and city rooftops to reach her.

She is so fast, and the cold air bites as I run and jump.

I feel so alive, though.

Past the city, I chase the Lady, and she makes for the forest. Borderline, and I hurry so as not to loose her in those dead white tree limbs.

Landing nimbly on a branch, I scan the area for signs of her passing. A whisper of her deep chuckle and I launch myself off again, maneuvering between tree branch and bowel.

Oh how much stronger I am already. Blood pumps through my veins and my muscles turn and flex as I propel myself on. Look what I have achieved already, and I had not even realized it until this moment. How far I have come since Mayumi's death?

How much further will it take to avenge her?

A twig snap, a lock of hair, an echo of laughter, a glimpse of her shadow, and still I follow. I will not lose her in this ghostly forest. I will be strong.

Up, up the mountain, and the forest gives way to rocky terrain and jagged cliff faces. How far have we run?

Suddenly, through the whirling wind I see her. A shadow amongst shadows, waiting for me. Lightly, I land in a crouch before her feet. The wind buffets at our bodies, howling as it batters the rocky outcrops around us.

_'So…you have managed this far?_' Her deep voice is tinged with amusement.

'_Yes, Lady.'_

_'Good.'_ She raises a hand to her mouth, letting the long sleeve train flutter behind '_This will make or break you.'_

I look up into her impassive face, and I shiver in spite of myself. So ominous, so delighted. She steps to the side and I see that there is a narrow crack behind her. An opening? She gestures me to go forth.

Slowly I stand, eyes intent on the narrow passage. I can feel my heart fluttering wildly in anticipation and nervousness.

'_Embrace it, let it make it's mark, and it will help you.'_

_'It will make me strong?_' I ask.

'_Hn._' And a smile curls at her lips. Setting my jaw, I walk steadily forward. I do not know what lies beyond here, another test? Or a trap? Who knows, but I walk past and she watches me intently.

'_Oh, Mahiro?_' I pause. It is one of the few times she has ever used my name. I incline my head slightly, so she knows I am listening, but I do not speak. I don't think I can '_Few choose to enter, and few return. They were stronger then you. Better then you can ever hope to be. Will you succeed, I wonder? I'll wait for you until dawn, after that, you are lost to me.'_

So dark, so heavy, I set my eyes forward into the impenetrable gloom of rock and shadow. The path widens but a little, and I see that it is indeed a small passage into the cliff face. Creeping forward, I reach out a hand to touch the side, to keep me grounded. Behind me the winds howls are fading. The further I venture into this unknown the more I am protected from its force.

It is a squeeze to get through, but I manage to wiggle my way through the crack and into the cave.

Pitch black, and I let the walls guide me forward via touch. Deeper, deeper I venture, until even the sound of the roaring gale becomes distant. All there is is the echo of my footsteps and the shallow sound of my breath.

Calm, I close my eyes to remain calm. Slow that breathing down, keep my cool and step forward.

Always step forward. Ignore the unusual crunches underfoot. Don't think about what they could be, what they were. Down we go, softly, gently.

My skin prickles and snap my eyes open again.

There is…something here, I can feel it. It's making the hairs on my arms rise and my skin to sweat. It's…powerful, and everywhere. I feel as if I could reach out and grab a handful from the air itself. So heavy, so thick, so old.

_'Sso, another seeks to meet me…_'

The voice drifts out from the darkness and I tremble. It is neither male nor female, old or young. It is simply…there, in the air, the darkness. Soft, yet grating.

_'Little mortal, can you bear it_?' I shudder at the voice, and, as frightened as I am, I cannot move. My mouth is dry, and my pulse is jamming at my temple. I can't think. I can't breath.

Think.

Move.

Demon!

I am tossed to the side, slamming in to an unseen wall and the rock shudders and crumbles upon me. The breath is knocked out of me and I struggle to gulp in air. Frantically my eyes search the darkness for something, anything. All there is is the sense of old power.

Stumbling, I rise and stagger forward.

_'Uh…I-'_

My voice chokes and the voice hisses. Blindly I run forward, hands outstretched and groping for the attacker.

The force buckles again and I am sent flying. Stone scrapes at my skin and bruises my bones and I cry out. I push myself off the wall, only to jammed forcefully back against it. Steel hard forces trap my arms and legs, pinning me down no matter how much I struggle against them. My GODS I have never been so utterly terrified before.

_'What do you want here, little, pathetic weakling?_' Icy chill breath brushes my cheek and I flinch away.

_'Sspeak to mee_!' It says with more force as I twist and squirm. The force tightens its grip, squeezing the life out of me. My eyes are rolling back with this terror.

_'S-strength!_' I cry out, desperate, so frightened, for surely I must die now '_Strength to avenge to fallen!'_

_'Sss…'_

And it recoils, slightly, and I can breath again. I gulp in the air, sucking it through my teeth. I stop struggling, lowering my head, trying to quell my pathetic fearful sobs.

Mayumi, this strength is for you. I can picture your smile, even now, in this Hell.

_'I-I need it to av-enge m-my sister!_' I choke out, that old anger and grief rolling out of my throat. The force coils back around, shifting.

_'Mosst go mad from my strength, vengeful one, what makes you different?'_ The sexless, grating voice brushes against my ears.

I lift my head, even though I can still see nothing. Saying nothing, I glare out it, whatever it is.

It seethes, chuckling, and I lift my chin. Embrace it, my Lady said, and I let the fight go out of me. Hanging limply in its many-armed grasp, it lifts me up. It almost cradles my body, and I find myself smiling softly.

Until the pain. The pain, it BURNS!

I scream, raw and loud as the fire, FIRE, scorches up in a searing wave of pain and fury. White-hot poison, flaring, burning, burn it all away!

SCREAM!

Writhing, helpless, I can't escape it, can't move away. My hands, my arms, surly the pain alone will kill me! Fire scorches up, inside my very blood, it's taking all of me. Burning, burning, BURNING, it's devouring me ALIVE.

_'ARRRRRGGGHHHH!!!'_

I crumple, a burnt out shell. This pain has killed me. I must have melted away.

And it is gone.

On the cool stone, I lay, a soft light falling before me, and, trembling, I look up.

The face is faint, as is the body. Indefinable. All I can do is stare. Many eyes shift and gleam on the narrow face, and the slightly humanoid body bends down into a…a thing of many legs.

'_Bear my mark, vengeful one, Black Widow with the broken heart, share Tsuchigumo's power._' The softly grating voice whispers. Blinking slowly, my vision fades to black.

Later, I wake and slowly pick my way back to the outside world. My arms feel like lead. The sun is high, long past dawn, yet there the Lady Kuroikumo is, staring down at Ueno City, waiting for me.

She does not turn as I approach.

_'It's past dawn._' I say in a rough whisper, for again my throat is torn from screaming. She does not reply immediately.

'_Fourteen students,_' and I am startled by the depth of emotion in her voice, the tenderness '_Fourteen students I have sent down there, and you are the first to emerge. Hn.'_

My eyes widen, and I come up beside her.

'_The spider god does what it will.' _Finally, she turns to look down at me. She raises a single arm, and sleeve drops away from her forearm. I gasp, and she smiles grimly, for intricate burns lace their way up her skin like a torn, red glove.

I look down at my own arms, and I choke as I see the same burns lacing my own skin.

Again I look up, and she is no longer smiling.

'_Spider child_,' she says '_You wanted strength, and now you have it.'_

**22.**

I missed the most defining battle of our age.

The Battle of Sekigahara, where Tokugawa Ieyasu demonstrated his military brilliance against the Western forces, and I battled against my own body to gain control of the spider blessing I had received just weeks ago.

I burned. I suffered. I was as sick as a dog as men many miles away began gathering for final stand off between Tokugawa and Mitsunari forces. My body fought and struggles and convulsed as it learned to accommodate the strange new power within me.

As brave Iga men stood by their Lord and died for him.

Kossori-san, he was at that battle, as were many others. On the sidelines, of course, in the shadows as is our want. Kossori-san, the Iga man who had pulled me through those first weeks of hell. Who told me to endure.

He died.

Defending Ieyasu from an enemy attack. I mourned for him. So did my Lady. I saw it in her ashen face when we were told the news.

'_He was my brother.' _She says so faintly, and I try not to stare.

I missed the battle, and with it, Demon Eyes Kyo. I seethe, so angry that I missed him. They say he killed a thousand men. My chance for justice, and it slipped away so quickly and was gone. Even if it could not be helped, I cursed for the loss any way.

I am told that he has dissapeared. Gone without a trace.

In the after math, we are summoned to the capital. Many of us are. Many of us died, like Kossori-san, in the heated and bloody battle of late Spring, so we were sent to replace them.

Hanzo Hattori-sama met us, as he met many before, to give out our mission. He too bore the scars of battle, but he stood strong and proud regardless. To say my stomach was rolling over in waves of nervousness is an understatement.

'_Kuroikumo,' _he says, as we kneel before him _'This shall be a test of your skills as a teacher. I trust that they will not be found wanting.'_

'_Naturally not, my Lord.' _She says, and I have been by her side long enough to hear the slight indignation in her voice. Hanzo-sama nods, turning to me. I can feel his gaze even as I keep my head bowed.

'_Mahiro.'_

'_Yes my Lord?'_

And so we are sent out as apart of the ninja guard who will ensure that nothing will hinder the public execution of Ishida Mitsunari, Konishi Yukinaga, and Ankokuji Ekei. I am nervous.

My Lady and I, dressed as a low ranking geisha and her servant, stand near the elevated platform. A perfect view, on would say. There is a hushed sense of expectation hanging thick over the crowd. The three ringleaders of the Western Forces stand erect and proud, and some part of me admires them for that.

I shift on my feet, waiting and searching for any sign of trouble. I cannot help myself from scanning the crowd every minute or so, but they are quiet, all subdued. There are many samurai present, watching as apart of a victorious army. It is quiet intimidating.

Squinting, I scan the area again. The official herald is speaking out the crimes of the three condemned.

'…_for the threat to our nations order, and the attempt to force our realm into chaos, by the order of the Tokugawa…'_

Everyone waits, watching the three men intently. I am restless, and a little apprehensive. These men, they know their death is near, yet they choose not to fight it. They stand there, so calm, so seemingly unbothered about their imminent demise. For all their pride and dignity, I cannot help but wonder why they do not fight for life.

_'Kneel.'_

And in one motion, they all do so. I look into their eyes, searching, trying to understand how they can be so at peace, when everything they fought for has crumbled in their hands.

_'Draw and make ready!'_

The dark clad Tokugawa samurai unsheathe and raise their swords. They stand behind their kneeling captors, with faces of stone. Everything has come to a hushed quiet so still and so expectant.

'_Commence!_' 

_Schwing-whump._

Down the silver blades arc, connecting with flesh and bone as they behead Ishida Mitsunari, Konishi Yukinaga, and Ankokuji Ekei. I wince, but they do not. Did not. Their heads fall to the ground with a sickening thud, and it is over.

'_So begins the Age of the Tokugawa.' _My Lady says softly, under her breath. Her face is hard too, for she is not fazed.

Neither am I.

**23.**

I stand outside the house of my childhood, but it has been so long since I set foot here that it is at once both achingly familiar and strangely distant. So much has happened, so much has changed, but here, this small house remains, on the hill, beside the cherry blossom tree.

Not much has changed, outwardly. The garden is a little more overgrown, and the wooden walls are a little more weathered. I never looked back when I turned away, four years ago. I have grown so much since then.

Ieyasu-sama told me to come back here.

'_Go, be at peace with your brother, at least. Come back as single minded as you where when you first came to me.'_

Perhaps he could sense the turmoil within me. Of late I have been thinking about Muramasa more and more. Of things left unsaid, of things unknown. In the light of the reemergence of the Mibu, where else could my thoughts be drawn to?

Apart from vengeance, that is. Believe me, I have worked myself past breaking part for it.

Yes, I have long known the alias of the real Tokugawa Ieyasu. Clever really, acting as the leader of the Iga Clan. The perfect disguise. I realized it the second time I met his heir, Hidetada, a fact I am quiet proud of.

I do not enter. I almost want to turn away from this place. I almost don't want to face the past, despite having dedicated my life to a memory.

Then, I am not given a choice. The door slides softly open, and my brother, Muramasa, stands before me.

'_Uh-' _I stammer, it has been a long time. His hair is shorter, I note, and instinctively I analyze his condition. The tightness around his eyes, the slow movements of his limbs, the whiteness of his lips.

'_Mahiro…' _He says, and for a moment his guard is down, and I can see the surprise and the pain on his face. It shoots at my heart, and I regret coming here.

'_Mahiro.' _He says again, and his voice is stronger, this time, his smile is in place. His mask up.

'_M…Muramasa.' _I bite the inside of my cheek, determined not to break down, not to lose my composure. It is hard, and I can feel an unwelcome lump of emotion balling up in my throat.

'_Come…inside, Mahiro, please…' _He breaks the spell, stepping aside to welcome me into his home.

Not mine, not my home. It is no longer my home. My sister is not there, now all it is is a building.

And, as if in a daze, I enter. He follows.

Silent, I sit by the hearth, the same one where she taught me to cook, mock scowling as cheekily I sampled dinner. The hearth where we sat together, she weaving as she told me stories in the cold winters nights.

Muramasa moves, setting a pot of tea on the smoldering fire, he sits opposite me. So silent, we sit there, awkward, each trying to think of something to say. I cannot quiet make myself meet his eyes. The kettle whistles, and he pours us each a cup, and we sit again in silence.

'_It…has been a long time…' _He speaks softly, gently, almost warily. I nod curtly, and stare into my cup.

The strained silence stretches out again, before I am compelled for some reason to breach it, only for my word to bash against his own.

_'I…I came back to-' _

_'I'm glad you-'_

We stop, each wanting the other to start first. I hear him sighs, as he relents.

'_Please, Mahiro…I am truly glad to see you again,' _He sighs softly again, and I stare into the fire. This is so hard to hear, to listen too _'I have missed you.'_

I am startled into meeting his gaze, and I am struck again at how terribly sad it is.

'_I won't be staying long…I…' _but I lose my voice. Something like disappointment flashes in his eyes, and then, the barrier is up again. A silver mirror. Maybe…maybe my sister could see through it, but I cannot. I don't want too.

'_I came to visit her grave.' _I say shortly, however, it comes out far more strained then I had intended.

Muramasa nods, as if he expected this, and wordlessly we both stand and walk outside to that lone hilltop.

The wind tugs at the small offerings I place at her grave; incense, blessed beads and a small statue of Kannon. My brother stands behind me, giving me the privacy I need for this moment. I raise my hands together to pray, and I swear that her image floats before my eyes.

'_Sister, please,' _I whisper _'Hold out a little longer, you'll be at peace soon.'_

But the apparition is blown away before my eyes. Tears trace their way, unbidden, down my cheeks. How long is it since I last cried? So long, it seems, I have put so much into forging myself a hardened shell.

'_You have not given up then, your revenge?' _he says behind me, tone strangely guarded. Not our revenge though, but mine. I guess I have earned it.

'_Of course not.' _Slowly, I turn my head to face him _'Never. I have given up everything for it.'_

And he nods as if he understands, and I suppose that he does, in some way. So sad, he is, so weary. So world-weary. I cannot help but pity this broken man, my brother.

'_You've grown so much…' _He says, smiling softly. He raises a hand as if to touch my face, but it falls short _'She would be so happy to see you now…'_

'_Don't.' _I say. I do not want more tears to fall. Not today.

An empty silence again, as we each try to compose ourselves.

_'Will you stay for supper?'_ Muramasa asks finally, and there's no mistaking the genuine hope in his voice. 

I move to say no, to say that I have to get back. That HE has been sighted, and that he is said to be travelling to Edo, and because of this I cannot linger here a moment more.

But I do not.

**24.**

The blade swings down again and I launch myself up and away to avoid it.

Twisting my body, I flip over the masked assailant to land lightly behind him, charging as my feet hit the floor.

Too quick, he is too quick, already ready to meet me. The saber-like sword swipes away my first knife, and even as I bring the other up and at him, he turns the blade and deflects the strike.

I stab again with my right knife, and he butts it away too easily, raising up the moving blade to come down on me.

I jump out of the way, and the saber cleaves through the bloodstained floor.

So many have fallen, their bodies twisted and broken by these Mibu scum. Two, TWO of them, alone, have taken down so many. My brethren. Others take on the second behind us, but this one is mine. He attacked Ieyasu-sama, the man to whom I owe everything. Anger flares in my blood and drives me on.

Another massive strike, and I roll out to the side, coming back to my feet in a run. He turns to give chase, and I duck under another swing as I run around. The third comes, and I leap, propelling myself against a wall. He raises up his sword, already aware of my next move, ready to counter against the flying momentum I've gained from the wall. He waits, point of no return, and then swipes up his sword to cut me in two.

But I am Mahiro, the Black Widow.

I unloose my web and swing out the way, pulling me up to the ceiling before dropping down right on top of him. His eyes widen behind the mask, and I bring forward both my knives to kill him.

That speed, though, so fast, and the sword is up and defensive as I slam both weapons into him. The impact jars my bones and I spring away, again out of reach.

'_Clever little human, you are so troublesome.'_

Landing in a crouch, I grit my teeth at the monster before me.

He raises the saber and charges. On instinct I bring both blades up to block the blow, but the sheer force all but pushes me back. We struggle for a second against each other's strength, and we both know that he is the stronger.

I bring up a leg and snap it into his groin. There is a deep sense of satisfaction as I watch his eyes bulge. I use the moment to bring back a hand to slash at his throat.

Glinting blade breaks through my guard though, and I throw myself back in a desperate bid to avoid being cut. I fail, and the sharp edge of the saber cuts down my face in a narrow miss of death.

Blood runs into my eyes and my nose and forehead stings.

He doesn't let up, and I am on the floor and scrambling away to avoid his blows. He laughs.

I trip, over one of my fallen comrades, as it were, and he whoops in glee as he knows he has me dead. I muster my strength, and I heave my lower body up and around to kick away the oncoming blade with my feet. It lands, heavily embedded in the floor, as I continue the motion and rise, up and away.

The Mibu heaves his weapon up and sharply, I dart in and under his defenses and slash across his midsection. Blood gushes out and he staggers back half a step.

But he does not fall. He comes back for more, and he catches me off guard with a slash across my chest. I bend out the way, but it catches me nonetheless. Pain flares on my collarbone, but I ignore it.

Shuriken, not mine, fly through the air at the monster, and deftly, he cuts it away. The other ninja, Toushi, darts away from the blade to circle the advancing blade. I mimic him. 

The masked man sweeps the blade around again, far reaching to both of us. Toushi leaps back, sending forth another round of shuriken. Again, they fall useless as he cuts them down. 

I shoot out a burst of web too trap his hands, so focused is he on the throwing stars, I pull away _hard. _With a flick of his wrist, Toushi sends three more shuriken to the man, and, sword trapped by yours truly, they embed themselves in his body.

The Mibu soldier lets out a howl, and wrenches his sword out from my trap. He cuts through Toushi's knives, hurling the bleeding ninja into a wall before closing in on him. I scram out and briefly, I wonder if this guy will ever stop. Leaping up at his vulnerable back, I send out a rain of silver threads, racing down to trap his limbs and hinder his movement.

He almost turns at the sound of my scream, but it is too late, I am already upon him.

He stumbles as I land on his back, legs snapping around his chest and arms gripping his neck. Knives at hand and I slash open his throat in a bloody fountain.

Sinking as his knees and his strength at last give way, I cling to his back, going down with him. My breathing is so shaky, so heavy as the taut muscle and sinew shudder and collapse. Waiting until I know that the last breath has left his body for sure, wearily I untangle my limbs from his own.

What a bloody mess.

Toushi staggers over to where I am, bent over and weary. As he inspects the Mibu soldier, I look to where more of out brethren battle the remaining assailant. It is Hanzo Hattori, or, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who deals the last blow.

Hearing a sharp intake of breath, I glance down to Toushi, and gasp myself. He has removed the Mibu mans clay mask, and what lies beneath is a fanged monster with three eyes, staring lifelessly at us. Ornate tattoos mark his bald head.

'_The true face of the Mibu…' _Toushi hisses between his teeth, and I agree.

Monsters. From the Hidden Mountain Clan.

The same one who birthed Muramasa, husband of my sister, and Kyo, her murderer.

It's an old, familiar feeling, anger and rage. But it does not fade.

**I hope you are watching, sister, so you can see me take revenge in your name.**

* * *

**Authors notes: **Pwef, finaly finished. 

The spider god thing may seem a little random and out of wack, but the way I see it, it sorta makes sense. Tosuchigomu is actually a spider demon in Japanese mythology, and although it is protrayed as a malevolent spirit, I though it could be hiding out near Ueno city to bless who it choses to(and eat those it doesn't)

The last segment was the first Mibu attack on Edo city, the one before Benitora and Sasuke get there.

And finally, I am about to leave for a little Eurpean tour with a friend, so I will not be updating for a fair while. Thus, this story is on hold, but I will get back to it when I return. Meanwhile, I can think on who to do next. I was considering Santera maybe...

See ya!


	13. Monster Part 1

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **Sorry about the stupidly long wait. Lots of stuff has been happening, and I've been concentrating on another fic which is reaching its climax.

**Part 1: Monster**

**Birth and the Limited Understanding of a Five Year Old**

**1.**

Light, noise, cold.

Want the warm; want the womb, frightened, strange and new. Comfort not here, strange place, frightening, so bright. Not known, don't understand.

Familiar, want the familiar.

SCREAM.

Wail, pulled away from home, from cradle. White it is. Want to return.

Loud noises, fear, falling, hard, cold surface, NOT LIKE.

WAIL. BURNING.

Want the warm, the soft, beating pulse that comforts. Inside. Outside now afraid, cold hard place.

More noises, louder, hurt and scary. Don't know, understand, fearful. Loud noises, burning, burning.

Sharp pain, arm.

Drowsy, fade, sleep.

Nothing.

**2.**

The man in white came in today. He makes me nervous. He has visited me twice before, I think, but he talks to me as if he knows me. As if we are familiar. I squinted and tried to see his face clearly, but it was blurry, like everything else. I don't know anything about him, but I didn't like him here.

I asked for a new doll. The old one melted when her head fell off. Now I am all alone.

_'So, our little monster wants to play with doll, eh?_' One of the guards laughed '_Why, so it'll melt again?'_

The white man waved off my question. Not important.

It made me spore, and my little gown smoldered.

He left soon after that.

It made me cry, he went away because he was frightened, because I spored. I don't even like him and he was mean, but he visited, and nobody ever visits me. Everyone always runs away. I cried for a long time. I cried so much it melted my entire gown and the wall of my cave.

Sniffing, I curl into a little ball, close my weak eyes.

Without my gown I'm cold, but they won't give me a new one for ages. Until they are sure I am calm and that I won't melt THEM. Then they'll creep in, holding out a dress on a stick and throw it at me. They never come close.

I don't mean to, really, I don't want to hurt anyone. I j-just get scared and then my skin feels funny and things start to melt. I d-don't even know how or why I do it, I-

I wipe my snotty nose on my bare arm. Tears are falling again, but I can't help it.

Things normally turn out like this. I'll get scared, and things will melt. My cave is all misshapen and round from all the times I've been lonely or sad or scared. Then it starts to burn. Even the guards are frightened, even though they look like they could snap me in two. They make me scared. They look funny, three eyes and weird horns.

I stick up my fingers on my head. Look, I have horns now, grrr!

But nobody's here. I sigh.

**3.**

'_Now, are you going to behave for me today?'_

He came back again. I can see his fuzzy white outline in the doorway.

I have another gown on. I mustn't get scared this time; I don't want to be naked in front of him. I don't want him to run either. I hate it when they run away.

'_I asked you a question.' _He says, sounding impatient. I can feel my cheeks redden. Maybe if I'm good they will let me out. I look at my toes so that I don't get flustered.

'S-sorry…' 

'_Hmph.' _He says, and I feel bad. Naughty girl.

I hear footsteps, and I look up, startled. He is approaching me. One of the fuzzy guards is reaching out for him, scared.

'_Sir, do you think-'_

'_What I think is not your concern, fool!'_ the white man snaps, and I am alarmed.

I step back, nervous. But he is too quick. His arm snaps out a white arm to grab my chin tightly, making me cry out. I squirm, he holds so tight and I don't like it. Tears burst out of my eyes and my skin feels funny. A bad smell starts to come from where the white man grips my chin, and he jerks away, cursing. His funny white gloves are all charred.

'_Curses, I was hoping these would work, too!' _And he glares at me like it's my fault. I whimper; my face is all flushed and wet, and I think my clothes are melting again.

'_Dart her.' _Says the white man.

Something bites my arm. I reach up for it instinctively. My head is spinning and everything goes to black.

**4.**

My head feels all funny, all cloudy, really weird.

Sometimes I feel like this when I wake up in my cell after they feed me the sleep food. But there was no sleepy food this time. I know that. I frown.

The ceiling looks funny. It's lighter then usual, even though I can't see it too clearly, I'm pretty sure its different. Maybe I was scared and melted it into another colour…

I shake my head to try and clear it.

All I remember is that I was in my cell, and then…the…man came in! The white man, and he hurt me with something.

I start to sniffle.

Blinking blearily again at this strange roof, I raise my hand to wipe away my silly tears.

But it doesn't move.

I try again, turning my head to look at my hand.

Strapped down! It's strapped down! Why?

I tug at my other hand, and that one is strapped too! Both my ankles refuse to move either. I-I don't understand w-why I'm like this. Why a-am I tied down, what's happened? Why is there no one nearby?

They're not coming loose, no matter how hard I tug at them. I pull and I pull until my wrists and ankles hurt and then I really start to panic.

The blob of fear splits in my throat and the tears tumble out of my eyes.

I'm so scared, what's going on?

'_W-Dammit she's awake! Why is she awake?' _A voice cries out as I struggle harder. I can hear loud footsteps, and I can make out blurry shapes rushing back and forth. My skin is all tingly and achy now. I sob.

'What's going on? Why-' 

'_AAAGHHH! MY HAND!' _They scream and shout, and it makes me cry louder. I'm sporing again, I know I am, and I'm hurting people again.

The table I'm on collapses, it's melted away, as have my straps. My back hurts, all scraped, and I crawl through the twisted stone and metal. It's all melting away before me and it frightens me so. People are running and screaming, and I don't know what's happening.

I curl up into a ball, sobbing into my hands, wishing it would all go away.

**5.**

They left me in my room for a long time after that. I grew so lonely, so hungry. I cried and cried for food, even banging on the door begging. When it started to smoke, the guards opened it and pushed me back with long, pointy sticks.

They hurt me, even made me bleed! And crying, I retreated to the back of the room.

But I grew so hungry. Days and days go by, and I chewed my knuckles to try and distract myself from my bellyaches. My sobs fell into small whimpers as longer and longer I waited for food.

I doze, sleeping, trying not to think of food, tying not to think of anything.

The door groans, and it wakes me up. I've not heard it open since forever. It's letting light in, and I can't help but marvel at the pretty yellow streak across the lumpy floor.

Sitting up, I rub my sleepy eyes, watching as it opens wider, as a tall fuzzy figure comes in carrying a tray. On it, I can smell…I can smell food! Yummy rice porridge. Up right, I watch as the person comes slowly closer. I can barely breathe. Watching as they approach, they stop.

Quiet, I must be very quiet. Maybe then the figure won't leave me and I'll get some food.

'_You're very hungry, aren't you?' _She has a very quiet voice, soft, like nothing I've ever heard. I want to inch forward, closer, cause I can smell the food just a little way aways.

I reach out, wanting the food, so hungry, but she pulls away. Crestfallen, I sink to the floor, trying to see her face half-heartedly.

Hungry.

_'Do you like your room, San?_' This person speaks again, but I'm not really listening. Too hungry. I make wide eyes at her. My tummy growls. I want that food so much. Rice, yes, and vegetables, porridge, anything. 

'_Mnn…' _I say, looking at the food pointedly. Maybe she'll notice and let me have some.

'_Would you like to go outside more? Walk around, see the sky?'_

That last word sounds funny. They don't let me out much. I'm always getting scared so they don't bother. Because when I get scared I melt things.

'_Sky?'_

'_Yes, the sky.'_

I search for an image to go with the word, but it's only vague. Fuzzy idea. I'm not sure, but the person says it carefully, like it means something good.

'_Uhm…I guess so…'_

She nods again, like what I've said is right.

'_Well, we can only do that if you're well behaved.' _

'_But I am!' _I cry. I am a good girl! I don't mean to hurt people!

'_No, you're whiney and emotional.' _The softness is gone, it's rebuking, matter of fact. I tremble _'That's why you emit the powder. And when you do that, people get hurt, do you understand?'_

No. No! Why me?

'_But I don't-' _I try to protest, but she doesn't let me. Like I'm not important enough to be heard.

'_That doesn't matter.' _Sharp tone, unforgiving. She's trembling with rebuke, and I can feel tears forming _'If you're a bad little crybaby, then we'll have to keep you in this room forever. We'll lock you up and throw away the key. Do you want to stay in here forever?' _

'_No, please don't!'_

And I bury my head into my hands. I don't want to be left here, all alone. I can't help it! I don't mean to cry so much, I just do! And I don't want to stay here forever, not like it has been, all dark and hunger.

She doesn't say anything, but I can tell that she's disapproving.

She's wrong about me!

'_Well then, you must start learning to behave.' _The person says in an odd voice. I sniffle, wiping my eyes.

'_Ok.' _I mumble.

'_I'll leave you to think on this.' _She says shortly, putting down the plate of food. I look at her balefully, and then, startled. The person has three eyes, like the guards!

Standing quickly, she leaves me. Only pause for a second, she was so strange, before pouncing on the food.

I ate it so quickly I almost puked it up again, but I didn't.

Don't waste good food.

**6.**

The floor is cold under my feet.

But it's not really floor, it's rock. Cold and rough. I scrape my feet over, just to feel it against my skin.

It's dark, a cave, it's called.

This place is strange.

The lady from before is with me, with three eyes. She doesn't come near me, but she doesn't run away either, even though she is frightened. I try not to cry around her, so that she stays with me.

I don't know who she is, but she visits me, tells me things. Apparently I'm five years old and an ex…expir…experiment. A special person. She said that the white man made me, and that he went to a lot of trouble to do so. There was some other things as well, but I don't really understand them all.

She showed me how to play cats cradle, which is this thing-a game-with string, and you make different patterns with it using your fingers. It's fun.

This trip is meant to teach me something. There are guards with us too, to make sure I don't run off. They needn't worry. I'm a good girl. I wouldn't do something like that.

'_This is the place.' _She says in a strange tone.

'_What's here to see?' _I ask, looking up at her, but she doesn't say anything.

I feel a little hurt, so I turn to look ahead and try not be too bothered.

All this rock, this…cave, seems to just fall away. It sort of opens out, and after that it's really bright. I can't see it good, so I creep forward, squinting hard. It seems, sort of blue, bright, and there are all these twisty shapes near to the ground that are darker.

'_What's that?' _I say, pointing to the dark bit.

'_The forest,' _she answers, using her odd voice again _'where the failures go.'_

'_Four-rest.' _I try the word out, rolling it around my tongue _'For-est. Failures, what are they?'_

But she shakes her head, a funny look on her face. The guards look glower at me. Did I say the wrong thing? I bite my lip and look to the floor, to the rock. There's a white lump. I nudge it with my toe, and it clatters.

Frowning, I crouch down to look at it. Poking it with a finger. It rolls over, and two black shapes mar the surface. I reach out to touch one of the black shapes, and it swallows my finger. It's a hole.

Weird.

'_Get away from that!' _The three eyed woman says sharply. I look at her shape, hurt. Everything I seem to do is wrong.

No-don't cry!

I sniff, and stand up slowly.

She doesn't say anything, so I don't look at her. I look up at the faw-rest (I'm still getting used to it) and wonder what it's like there. Glancing reproachfully at the guards, I shuffle closer to the edge, to where the cave opens out.

The air…it feels, smells, really clean, new.

Fresh. I kind of like it.

_'Ugggh…'_

I jump in my skin at the noise, the sound. The people behind me are startles too, I heard them move. It makes me shiver, the noise, and I can't see where it came from.

'_Um…' _I look back at the shape of the adults behind me, but they don't say anything, they don't tell me to come back or keep away. I'm puzzled, I don't really understand-

_'Urrruugh…'_

It's much more drawn out, this time. It makes me shiver. My stomach tightens, a-and all of a sudden, I don't like this place no more.

'_W-what is that?' _I whisper fearfully, but still they say nothing.

Some dark shape lurches up from the lower rock. It sways unsteadily, unbalanced. I step back myself. I don't know what this is, I can't see it. I tremble as it moans again, long-winded and painfully hollow. And echoing.

I shudder.

It sways, unsteady.

'_That is a failure…' _comes the quiet voice of the lady. She doesn't sound like she usually does, stern even when she's afraid. She sounds…almost sad.

But why?

I can't tear my eyes away from the clumpy figure. It's closer now, and I can see that it's all weird. It's…not normal, out of shape, and-

'_This is where the failures are taken,' _Her voice is still strange. I can barely hear it over the…thing's terrible moaning _'and they are left here to die.'_

_'W-what? I-I don't-'_

Understand.

But the thing, the failure, stumbles into the light. Right in front of me! I cry out, first in surprise and then I-in horror.

It's puckered, scarred face! Yellow, drooping eyes! Hunch back! Crippled a-arm and horrible clawed hands t-that are reaching out to me!

So twisted and-and j-just WRONG! NO! People don't look like that, they don't! I never see ANYBODY and I know that!

WrongwrongwrongWRONG!

I can't move.

I whimper.

The jaw gapes, showing toothless gums and lots of drool. Dribbling, like it's hungry. A long red tongue slides out of it's mouth, and just h-hangs down the thing's chin. It's milky, yellow eye swivels down at me, looking AT me, and I scream.

My skin aches, and then burns.

Automatically, I squeeze my eyes tight shut and I curl up into a ball.

'_Go away, go away, please go away-' _Whisper, praying, and as the throaty screams comes, I clamp my shaking hands over my ears. Block it all out, shut it out and it will be gone.

But I can still see it, in my head. That horrible, lopsided face. Leering at me, reaching out with twisted claws-

Fierce, itchy, aching skin.

Don't think about it, what it means.

Scary not-man, failure, hungry, wants to eat me, just-

_'JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!'_ I scream. 

Silence.

But I don't open my eyes, not yet. I'm too scared.

When I do, there's nothing left but melted rock around me.

I did it again.

* * *

**Authors note: **Again, apoligies for the delay.

This came out...wierder then I wanted it too. I tried to make Santera sound really young (she's five at this point) so I had to continusly pull back mature descriptions and words. AGGHH!!! frustrating...

Anyway, that first bit is her bith, by the way, and I figured that once she was born, her mothers immunity to her powder stuff would fade away, leaving the mother vulnerable to her attacks. So, basically, the crying newborn emits the powder and burns/melts away her mum and nurse who drop her on the ground.

yes...

Anyway, I will try and update soon, but please be patiant. hope you enjoy it!


	14. Monster Part 2

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **Firstly, I make a huge apology for taking so long. My excuse? Well, I bought new tablet, and have been trying my hand out at digital art. But, hopefully, I'll be a bit more consistant with the writing now too. Hope you like it!

**Part 2: Monster**

**Knowledge and the Escape**

**7.**

I am an experiment.

I did not discover this at any single moment. Rather, the understanding of my situation and what I am worth was gradually pieced together over many years. Not that this knowledge is very useful. I know nothing else, and so can make no comparisons to what any other life must be like. But, I do know that there is another way to live. I just am…afraid of how different it could be.

I don't like change. It frightens me, and then…

Lots of things frighten me though. It doesn't take much. Just an angry glare or a disgusted glance. I have to be very careful, though, so that I don't over react and release my dust. I am getting better.

I get lonely a lot too. That achy, hollow feeling inside my chest. At first I didn't quiet understand the feeling. You must understand, my experience is so limited, most of what I know comes second hand, from Lady. My three eyed teacher who both fears and pities me at the same time.

Almost everything I know is through her. Small things I gather and put into place by listening to the guards outside my door talk. I am very quiet, so they don't know that I'm there.

'_-White's in a bother.'_

'_All fussed 'cause he can't make an immunity to our little monster in there.' _

They laugh nervously and I hold back a sniffle. They detest me for my spores, yes, they hate me. I am freakish and ugly and unnatural, but still they feel some kind of claim for me. Because they guard me, freak among freaks. Does it make them feel bigger and better then others?

I don't know. I don't understand enough about their world, about the world in general.

So, alone I stay in this cell. In the dark, whispering to myself to keep company. Sometimes I hate it, and the silence and the loneliness. I hate it so much a bitter taste comes to my mouth and I burn away another gown. But then, I am always relieved to come back to it. The silence and the dark can be comforting, in the only way I can imagine, after a session with the White man and his cronies.

The walls of this place have been melted and crudely repaired so many times. Stone melts into weird formations, and I often run my hand over the smooth bubbles to remind myself of the sensation of touch.

Not human touch, of course not. I can't touch other people. They melt right away.

**8.**

The game begins by wrapping a loop of string around the fingers or wrists and taking one side of the string and circling the hands again.

Then, taking the string which runs on the inside onto the first finger of their right hand, reach through the triangle created so that the loop on the inside of the right hand is taken onto the first finger of the left hand.

The aim of the game is to make the cat's cradle.

This is created by two sets of crossed string between both hands. A second player grasps each cross-

_But there are never any second players, only me_

-horizontally using the thumb and first fingers, pulls these outwards, down under the line which runs below the crosses from the first players wrists, and back up. The first player lets go of the figure and the second player stretches it open by bringing apart the thumbs and fingers. This figure is the "diamonds". A series of other alterations-

_I must have been altered, a long time ago, before I was even real; they altered me into a different pattern from themselves_

-produce more figures, some of which lead back to the diamonds while some are dead ends and cannot be transformed. Some say that "diamonds" is the cat's cradle from the game title, while others insist it's only the game title, and not any figures.

This game is very simple and is always started with the above opening. After that one mostly pinches the X's and wraps them around the outside strings. The others moves tend to need a little more practice-

_Oh yes, I have plenty of practice, making the patterns on my own. I'm quiet good at it now_

-cats cradle, a game made for only one.

**9.**

They are always wary, careful not to startle me. There have been times when I cannot help but be intimidated, though, even when I know that they cannot hurt me.

Look, here they are again. It is THAT particular day today. I know because I keep track. Lady taught me that days can be sorted into weeks, which make up years. Lady has taught me many things, over these past five years.

The guards don't speak to me, as always. They gesture for me to come, and I am already standing. They stand well back as I walk through the door; careful not to let themselves become too close to me. It always makes me sad, even though I know they have good reason. I always bite my tongue so that I don't cry, when they shudder away from me.

'_Monster,' _they mutter under their breaths _'freak_.'

I suppose I should be used to it by now, but I'm not. I don't think I ever will be.

An escort of guards awaits me, as always. Their faces are always hidden. Silently we walk along these empty corridors, down the same route as before. It is always the same, and though I may wonder, I'll never know what lies behind the other locked doors we pass.

Could there be others, like me?

But, no, it does not do to wonder, to imagine. They are bad things. Negative, and I am not a bad girl.

Our footsteps echo, turn left here, then right, then right again, and there's the door. It opens especially for me. The guards don't follow me here. They part to let me through. I walk in.

I don't like days like these; they always leave me feeling so…empty. I don't know why.

This room is white, and very plain. Not matter how I leave it, when I return the next week cycle, it is as plain and as white as always. Strange, in a way, because I know that rooms don't usually do that, apart from this one. I try not to think of the strangeness of it. Maybe it's natural for this room.

'_Sample Three, secured in the test room.'_

'_Sample Three, move to stand point Number One.'_

I do as the voices say; walking over to the red 'X' marked on the ground.

'_Sample Three now on Stand Point One. Waiting for permission to begin test, Doctor?'_

There is a pause, Doctor White, the white man, always pauses. I think he likes to keep the other voices waiting. Or maybe he knows it makes me nervous, because it does. I shift my weight uneasily, waiting for the permission to be given.

One.

Two.

Three-

'_It is granted,' _it finally comes, haughty. I tense_ 'proceed immediately.'_

A heavy, clunking noise begins, almost grinding as a segment of the wall opens up into darkness. I hate it. So black that I never know what will come out until it has already leapt toward me. Whatever it is, they always come out angry, so angry. Malformed and malevolent.

They hate me; they try to kill me.

I am shaking now, shivering, and already my skin is tingling. That heated sensation is coming slowly. As the wall opens, the darkness gives way to something else, as it flies through the air at me.

Automatic, I squeeze my eyes shut and wrap my arms around myself. Fear has already burst through my skin in a flare of dust. I hear it howl something horrible, and I crouch down into a ball as it screams its breath away. I can't stop trembling and I know that I am crying.

Why is it always like this? Am I only made for destruction?

I am alone, shaking on the ground. Once again I am a good girl, and being a good girl means that I have to hurt them all.

I…I…hate it…

_'Nnnggghhhrrr…_' 

At that sound my spine straightens and my eyes snap open.

He-it-the creature sh-should be gone. But it's there, and so so angry. At me. It's skin hasn't melted off, it's different somehow. I can see the things blood veins pulsing through pale skin. It's still there, and I c-can feel it's resentment growing stronger.

Its eyes are…terrible; I can't look away, even though I want to. I want to hide, curl up into a ball and get out anywhere but here. I hate it here! But I am too afraid to run away. Surely it will be worse out there.

But here? With this creature?

Fear.

H-how did it survive? That's n-never happened before. How could it? Why?

It's head jerks up, and I fall onto my backside with the shock. Slowly, it raises its bulky form and seems to…to sway over to me. I scramble, trying to get away from this thing that fr-ightens me so, but I can't. I come up against wall and floor, and even as they melt away at my fingertips, I know that it will get me before I get out.

All that hate, that anger.

_'L-leave me alone!'_

No, it doesn't listen, why should it? And it LUNGES again and I scream and cover my ears. GO AWAY! I scream high pitched again as its claws scour at the wall next to me. Surely my sporing ended it this time?

'_Sedate immunized construct and the girl, I don't want either of them damaged.' _The voice says sharply. The thing snaps its head up at the sound and I scramble away. The hiss of escaping gas fills my ears.

All of a sudden I feel so tired, so heavy.

I close my eyes to a dreamless sleep.

**10.**

Groggily, I blink away sleep from my heavy eyes as I feel myself coming out of that unnatural sleep. The feeling is not unfamiliar to me; I have been sedated before.

My head feels like mud, so slow and heavy. I tug my hair halfheartedly, trying to wake up. All it does is make me yawn, big and wide as I stretch out my arms and my mouth.

Finally, I sit up and gaze at the place around me.

Not my cell. I realize that at once.

It is very clean and white, with that strange smell (Lady told me it was aniseed) but that is no large surprise as rooms are always like that down here. Vaguely I make out the sharp, gray shelves and large, blue diagrams. Other pale gray shapes fill up this long room, are they desks, tables? Large white sheets of…fabric?…are hanging from metal frames around the room.

I shudder.

The strangest fact is that I am in this room, one of the laboratories, and I am free.

Why?

Slowly, I lean over the edge of the table I woke up on. If I squint my eyes, I can make out the floor below me. It doesn't look too far away. So, warily, I stretch down my feet, trying to feel the cold tiles with my toes.

I slip, and scrape my back as I fall painfully on my rump. The pain is sharp and brings tears to my eyes, and I can feel my gown smolder as I emit a little dust.

No! I tell myself sharply, I mustn't cry, not in a place like this!

That would be very bad.

I bite my lip to distract myself as slowly I rise to my feet. My head goes all funny, a really light feeling, and I sway a moment as the sensation passes.

_'Test Sample Three of the Dragonscale Project.'_ At the sound of his voice I jump, yelping in surprise at the white figure that has appeared before me. He continues on in his bored voice '_Gender: female, Age: ten…'_

With a start, I realize that he is describing me! He must have heard my yelp of surprise, as he stops listing off my detail to stare at me. Is there a smile on his face? Not a nice one, I don't think, but I could be wrong. I can't see very well, after all.

One shiny, white hand beckons, and slowly I tip toe over to the desk he is leaning on.

_'Come here little girl, I want to show you something._' The skin on my back crawls as I realize who he is. Doctor White! The head boss! I haven't seen him close up in ages. I clutch my hands to my chest. Doctor White makes me very nervous.

'_Do you see that?_' He asks, gesturing to the table besides us. Glass vials holding red liquid are held in some sort of weird contraption. There a wires and tubes coming out of the vials, twisting around the machine at different places. Just looking at it scares me, and I am so unused to being spoken to directly that my tongue has turned to lead in my mouth.

I nod slowly, trying not to squint, but the Doctor only chuckles.

'_My dear, you've been a problem since the very beginning_.' I feel so crestfallen at his words, I've tried so hard to be good! I did everything they told me too, I was perfect, I don't want to be 'trouble.' A hard lump rises in my throat, but all Doctor White does is chuckle again. He gazes fondly at the vials on the table, letting a finger rest on one.

'_A child that can emit dragonscale dust from her very pores in times of emotional excess,'_ he says in a voice barely above a murmur '_such a troublesome thing to try and control, even with chromosomal imprinting in place…'_

I get the feeling that he isn't really talking to me.

'_We could never truly threaten the subject because nothing that we do would ever harm her. Psychological control is not enough…'_

He fiddles with the machine thing, turning knobs and twisting buttons. Occasionally he'll break out into an unconscious smile, and jot down some notes on some paper. He even puts his face up to a weird black tube at the top.

It's very awkward; I have no idea what I should do. Perhaps I should sir down or something, or even run away now that he's not looking at me. One fuzzy glance around the room and that idea quails. Where would I run too?

So I stare at him. I actually think that he's forgotten about me, until he snaps his head around to stare back at me. I can't help it, I blush and whimper.

I can see the grin slowly spread itself across his face.

'_Now, yes…now I have found it…broken through it, mastered it!_' Doctor White sounds gleeful, in a dangerous way. I make to step away, but to my surprise and horror, he leans forward and seizes my arm in a tight grip.

The breath is knocked right out of me by the pure shock of contact. I sag in his grip as my skin flares up with the tell tail sign-

_'No!_'

If he holds onto me, he'll burn, and that would be the worst thing ever! I'd be in so much trouble, they would lock me away forever and leave me there! I scream and kick and squirm to get out of his grip but it HURTS so much. Like he wants to pull my arm right off!

_'You mustn't! L-let go!_' I sob, but he only grins wider and pulls me close.

'_I've cracked the code to your power, little monster. You can't touch me now.' _

All I can see is his grinning face, and I sob again in incomprehension as he viciously shakes me hard. My skin is burning now, burning.

'_Stupid girl, you still don't get it?' _He spits out, angry and I don't know why. One more hard shake and he lets me sink to the melting floor. Blinking away tears, I gaze wretchedly up at him, as he stands, untarnished above me.

Untarnished…

He is not burned.

He laughs.

'_I searched everywhere for something that could contain your powder, and I found it!' _Doctor White gloats. He isn't even looking at me anymore; he has closed his eyes and crossed his arms. I am glad, he was scarier when he was laughing manicly.

'_Of course, it took me a long time to get it right, years in fact. Taking blood from the pregnant mother and combining it in the right amounts to the isolated gene of the specimen created a solution that is perfectly immune to the effects of the Dust. Why, it can be combined with other substances too…' _Stopping for breath, he turns back to the table and quickly writes down something else.

I realize I have been holding my breath through his tirade. Slowly I let it out as once again, he starts talking.

'…_paint, cloth, why-even blood! The possibilities!' _The Doctors eyes slide towards me slyly _'That means, of course…'_

I bite my lip and try not to tremble.

_'…there'll be no more melting walls and floors for you!_'

**11.**

Now that the immunity to my spores has been discovered, I am forgotten about.

Oh, they still feed me, and every so often they take me out for tests and exercise. But not like before. They have mastered my powers, I am no longer an enigma. All the information on me has been recorded and locked away for some other date, should the Mibu ever have need of my particular brand of monster.

Doctor White must have found something else to concentrate on.

I miss them, kind of, because they broke up the monotony of this place. They meant that I was SOMETHING. Something monstrous, to be sure, but I was something worth taking note of. Now I am nothing, of no importance anymore.

The only good thing about the serum is that I no longer burn away my gown.

Lady only visited me twice more after that day. She never liked me a lot, but I think she was sad for me, for this place in general, because she hinted that there are others who are experimented on in here, even if she never said it out right and I never saw them.

I liked her company though, she told me things, explained why I was here and what was out there. The last time I see her, she is very sick. There are bandages all over her body, and she looks ever so sad that I almost cried.

_'Why are you…so sick?'_

She won't meet my eyes, looking instead behind me.

'_This will likely be my last visit to you.' _Lady replies tersely, and I look up in fear and burst into tears. With her gone, there would be no one.

'_Wah-why? Why can't you s-stay?' _I ask her between sobs.

'_Because I can't.' _She snaps, as she fiddles with the bandage on her wrist. I stop crying at her no nonsense tone, looking ruefully at the floor that no longer melts.

We are both quiet for a while, and I feel almost angry with her. Leaving me here, all alone when she knows she's my only visitor. A painful knot tightens my stomach, and I find myself clenching and unclenching my fists.

'_I…I'm going to the forest…' _she says so quietly, and all my anger is gone.

'_The-the forest?' _I stare wide-eyed _'Isn't that…dangerous? What about the failures?'_

But anything she might have said was cut off by the guards gruffly telling her times up.

The only advantage the immunity solution gave me was that now I cannot burn through my clothes.

**12.**

Something in the darkness shifted, and I wake groggily, uncurling from the thin sheets that are twisted around my limbs. I sleep fitfully now, often waking many times a night from some nightmare. My room has been completely covered by Doctor White's discovery, so I no longer wake to the searing smell of melted linen and rock.

It makes me lonely, but on this night, I am not alone.

Something is different about my cell. As I stumble up, I try to catch the difference. It is a moment before I do so, because in fact, it is so strange, I almost can't believe it is real.

My…door is…open.

A dim light falls in, and softly I walk towards it, stretching out my hands to let it cover them. My skin is tingling all over. Fear, nervousness, anticipation and wonder all seem to buzz under my skin. This feels like a dream. It is all so strange. I'm not sure I even understand what this event implies.

Blinking I reach out for the doorframe as I peer out to the corridor long barred from me. I cannot step forward, though; it's as if the door is still here, holding me back. I almost…want to stay. Everything I know, all that is familiar, lies behind me. I am not so frightened anymore, as I know what to expect.

Why should I leave then, if it will only scare me?

In my room, I am alone, but at least I am safe. The outside, the unknown, how could I ever survive out there? I know nothing, only what little Lady taught me. Out there I would be alone and scared and very vulnerable.

But…what if…

What if it were better? I have never been happy here, yet I know that that is an emotion because Lady told me about it because I didn't know. Was happiness scary? Could I be happy, in a place so unknown to me?

I shiver, and then shudder at the thought. I almost shrink away from the light; I want to curl back under my blanket. I almost do.

Light footfalls break through my thoughts, and I look up to see a figure running my way. They-it sees me, and slows down as they approach. I step back a little; I can feel my skin aching a little from fear.

'_Are you coming?_' 

The question itself throws me off balance. An invitation, given so freely? I squint to make out the features of this other. A simple gown, pale skin and sharp horns sprouting from his head. An experiment, like me, because no one in the Mibu would ever extend their hand to one like us.

None of the Mibu have such long claws either.

'_Wha-'_

I see his face move, and his voice is almost urgent.

'_The Demon Three have gone on rampage, they've let a lot of us out. We're escaping.'_

Demon Three…?

Rampage…?

E-escape…?

'_Escape…b-but where too?'_

'_It doesn't matter. Are you coming or not?' _

The urgency and impatience is definitely there now. Is he just as afraid as I? Or maybe he is afraid of being too late, of being caught again.

'…_ok.' _

I've made up my mind. I'll risk it, I think. I don't want to stay here no more. I nod at the other experiment, and a smile flashes on his lips before he turns and continues down the corridor. My heart flutters, a little. A smile! Since when did anyone smile at me?

I jog to catch up with him, for he is almost running himself. Running to get away, out of here, and I can't help but feel excited. My skin tingles a little, so I make sure to keep a little way behind my companion, so that I don't hurt him.

That would be terrible.

There is a strange sort of silence as we run past. Every so often, I'll here faint screams or roaring from far away, and the horned man will look around, warily, before ushering me to hurry up.

All the doors are open, which is quiet frightening. I get glimpses of other cells, or of horror rooms full of suffering that both of us can feel through some kind of sense. My companion will always check the cells, looking for others like me, dazed and confused. We found one creature who was so weak he could not stand at all, and we were forced to leave him there.

I am so glad to have someone with me,

'_Who…are the Demon Three?' _I whispered anxiously as we walked passed the dead bodies of three guards and a scientist. Blood was smeared all over the white walls and I could see the gaping holes in their broken bodies.

I had gagged violently when we first came upon them, and it takes all my courage to walk past. I can feel the floor melting under my feet; I am shaking so much right now. I think that the Demon Three have done this, whoever they are. I am worried about what will happen if we come across them.

The horned mutant gives me a strange look, before answering.

'_They are some of the strongest of us created. Dangerous and uncontrollable, the Demon Child Band...' _His eyes flicker '_They've been trying to get out for ages, and now they have. But don't worry-'_

He must have seen my look of fear. I swallow my gasp and nod dutifully. It's always best to agree.

'_They won't hurt us, they're only after…them.' _He finishes, nodding meaningfully behind us. I shiver.

_'Come on._' He says, not unkindly.

_'How do you know the way out_?' I ask once we've started off again.

_'I'm following the trail of blood they left behind, looks like one of them was wounded.'_

_'Oh._' And I can't think of anything to say.

Slowly, the white walls turn to gray and then to rock, marred by the occasional body or bloodstain. I am very brave, though. I don't cry out or anything, and even though I am sporing, it's not too much, and I don't think that my companion has noticed. I think I recognize this place though, and I say as much to the horned man, but he merely nods in a distant sort of way as he chooses the next path.

So I fall silent again, concentrating on keeping my balance on the roughly cut rock steps. Each step produces a muffled echo as we journey further and further down until my legs hurt and ache horribly. It's getting colder too, the further down we go. I try counting in my head to distract myself.

Once, my companion stops suddenly. I almost crash into him, but I am very careful and manage to pull myself back. My heart is hammering though, what if I had touched him?

And then, suddenly, he is shorter and reaching OUT TO ME!! Screaming, I throw myself backwards and scramble away from his groping hands. My dust is poring out of me now, from all the fear and stress and I am gasping for air as I see him pull back. Then he sees the rock melting around me, and his face darkens as he meets my gaze.

My stomach turns cold, for I've seen that look before.

'_Y-you mustn't t-touch mm-me…_' I stammer, looking down to the ground and feeling the tears of shame welling up in my eyes. He was only trying to help me, too, cause now I can see the big shelf he was going to help me down.

Now he won't want me around, knowing what a freak I am. He'll leave me here to wonder around alone until I'm caught o-or starve or something, and it was all going s-so well, I-

_'You didn't say you were one of the Dusk Kids_.' He says so quietly, I stop crying.

Sniffing, I shake my head, but mumble out some words pitifully. I've never felt so miserable, I don't think. My throats all choked up, too. I can't-won't answer, until something in what he said catches my attention.

_'O-one of the Dust…d-dya mean that…that there's more of me_?'

Vaguely I can see his face turn surprised and then unhappy.

_'There was once_,' he says, stepping away 'I_ don't know what happened to them-watch out, it's big…'_

And even with his warning, I still fall a little way and scrape my knees. But I don't care, he's staying away now, and looking at me warily, but he hasn't run off and left me. It's a good feeling, I decide, when someone stands by you.

It dawns on me suddenly, where we are headed, for the cave mouth opens up wide, leading to the outside. Again there is the bright blue, which I know is the sky, and the dark green stretch that is the forest, and my heart almost stops. This is where the failures are taken; this is where we can escape.

_'This way, come on! I've been here before!_' I smile as I run passed the horned man. Happy now, cause I can show the way.

But, the strangest things happen.

His smile turns to a cry, and he lunges forward again to grab my arm, pulling me away as the first spear buries itself in the ground where I stood. My head snaps to the front to see the five guards advancing from the shadows, shining blades ready. Even as I feel my own fear, the Dust pores out from my skin, and the cry behind me turns to a scream. I look in horror to see my companion, my rescuer, staring at his melting hands.

NO! NO!!! WHAT HAVE I DONE?

I scream, blinded, now by tears as I run away as fast as I can from what I've done. I tear past the guards, hearing them scream as my skin burns and aches and spores. I stumble down the rock, and then fall, unable to help myself as I tumble off the edge and out of the cave.

My feet hit dirt and I run. Into the forest.

Where the failures go.

* * *

**Authors note: **Dr White always seemed a bit of a nutter to me. I think he would be the sort to gloat over his own test subjects.

The end was a little rushed, I admit, and Santera's maturity regarding words seems to flucuate bit, but oh well. Hope you're all still there!


	15. Monster Part 3

**A Creature of No Importance**

**Authors note: **Hey, really sorry for the long wait. Hope you enjoy it nonethe less.

**Part 3: Monster**

**What Comes From the Forest**

**13.**

This forest is terrible.

It is darker then anything I-I've ever been in, and…

I'm so scared. Even the trees here are angry. They creak and moan, and I just know that they want me dead. There's dried blood on the twisted and knotted bark, I can see it close up. It smells and it's ingrained deep into the wood.

And the sun, the trees hardly ever let the sun through, even though it is the one thing I have really come to love out here.

I hate this place. I hate it.

Everything I meet tries to eat me, they all look the same. Slavering jaws with oversized tongues and beady eyes, all smelling of rot and decay, it makes me throw up every time. They'll eye me hungrily, licking their lips and flexing their dirty claws.

'_An easy feed._' they grin _'A juicy, fresh young feed…' _and all I can do is crouch into a ball and cover my ears as their wide grins disappear into nothing.

Nothing can touch me, so I walk alone. My gown is torn now, and dirty. It may be immune to my spores, but the forest still takes its toll. All of my skin is grubby too, stuck with mud and twigs in my hair. It bothered me at first, all this dirk and muck, but I really don't care that much any more. I couldn't care less what happens to me, this place is so horrible.

I sniff, letting my tears fall down the worn tracks of my face.

I don't even know how long I've been here for. A week? More?

At night I climb up the nicer looking trees so that the night prowlers don't find me. I have to be careful, though, not to fall off the branches in my sleep, so I never get too much rest. Not that you can in this place.

Every day, all I can do is wander aimlessly, hiding and being scared all the time. I'm sick of being scared, and now I don't even have my own cell to feel safe in.

I'm so hungry too, there's nothing to eat out here at all. I tried to eat the plants at first, but they all made me so sick, so I'm left with munching on the few that don't make me too ill.

Yesterday I came across a dead carcass, a fresh one, still steaming. I couldn't tell what or who it used to be, but all that meat made my mouth saliva, and my stomach growled in painful agreement. I reached out tentatively to touch it, looking around in case anyone was watching. I was so hungry, starving, I had to eat, I had to. I could almost taste the blood on my tongue.

But a twig snapped, something else was nearby, and I fled.

And I am still hungry now, even though the thought of what I almost did makes me queasy. I may end up doing it eventually.

**14.**

I saw his shape as I was waking up. He stood out so much, apart from all the other forest creatures I have seen.

Blinking my bleary eyes, I catch a glimpse of his fair hair and clean robes as he walks on the forest floor beneath me.

_Clean, _is what I thought,_ he's not from here. _

It makes me breathless.

As quietly as I can, I clamber down my tree. I'm shaking, though, I cannot help it. I fall to the earth with a thud, and roll behind the tree in case he has heard.

But he keeps walking, he hasn't stopped, so I scamper behind, hiding behind the roots and trees of the forest. It almost becomes a game. Sometimes he'll stop, and turn his head like he's thinking, and I'll freeze, hoping I haven't been seen.

His white cape almost glows in the darkness of the forest, like a beacon, and I wonder why he has not attracted the attention of other inhabitants.

I hope not. I want to keep this discovery to myself.

He's started walking again, and carefully, I flit from shadow to shadow. I'm curious, he seems so out of place, so how is it that he seems to know where to go? Even I don't know where we are, and I'm supposed to be an inhabitant of this place!

I wonder if the other forest dwellers are like me, if the roam randomly, catching their prey when it stumbles upon them. Or maybe they do actually know the tracks and ways of the forest, maybe it just takes time.

_Snap!_

Ah! I stepped on a twig by accident, I'm so clumsy! It snapped so loudly, he surely heard it. Yes, he's staring right at me! Gods his eyes are so scary, he's frowning slightly, smiling a little as well. It's so creepy I want to cry. I stay very still, hoping that he'll turn away.

Oh, why did I follow him? He's obviously much stronger then me, this was such a stupid idea. What if he kills me? I bite my lips and clamp a hand over my nose so that he doesn't hear me. I'm trembling, and I think I'm sporing too.

Please, let him go, please let him not notice.

I don't want to die.

The sound of something being pulled taught comes faintly, and I can't help myself. I open one of my eyes to peek out.

_Bad idea, bad idea! _But I can't help myself.

He has a bow! Aiming at ME!

And he's seen me! Even though I jerk my head back behind the tree trunk, I know he's seen me. Cold sweat breaks out over my skin and my stomach rolls over.

He's going to kill me for sure!

The plants next to me, the ones I'm hiding in, are smoldering.

'_Come out at once, sneaking forest beastie. Maro has heard you a-creeping all along.'_

Eep! He's speaking to me! What can I do? Should I run, or pretend I'm not here?

'_Don't keep Maro waiting!' _he says almost in a singsong voice _'Little monster, I know you're there. Or don't you want to play anymore?'_

I whimper. It's no good, he'll only get angry if I don't obey him. Maybe if I run out he'll forgive me for following him and let me go. Oh, what should I do? What if he shoots me on the spot? What if my dust isn't enough to protect me?

'_Shame,' _He speaks softly, and it scares me even more _'I was looking forward to some…'_

Soft twang and…

ARROWS!

Sharp, blinding fast, searing through branch and trunk. Splinters flying and flashes of metal. Down, down, bearing down and tearing at everything. Stripping everything to nothing.

I scream.

I crouch into a ball as the arrows strike through everything around me. Arms over my head I sob, terrified. Never been so terrified before.

'_No! Ple-ase! No more' _I cry rawly, when at last the storm of arrows stops.

Sharp intake of breath, and I am scampering and stumbling out from behind the now broken tree. I trip over a root and fall hard on my knees, stinging as the skin is scrapped off.

Tears b-burst out of my eyes and I can't help but wail, I don't want to die!! I t-try to hold back my s-sobs, but they keep escaping. I stand up, but only because he's looking at me with such distaste, a-nd I can't stand it.

'_Uh-I didn't mean no harm, I s-swear!' _I sobbing furiously, not bothering to wipe my eyes dry. They ha-ted it when I cried, I shouldn't cry _'I-I'm s-sorry…'_

I clasp my hands to my chest and keep my eyes to the ground, hiccuping. I'm too a-afraid to look up. I think I've m-melted the ground too, but he hasn't said anything yet.

Please don't kill me!

A long silence stretches out, leaving me more and more nervous with each m-minute. A lot of ground is melted now, around my feet.

'_Oh ho ho, but look at this!' _He exclaims suddenly, and I am startled into looking up at him.

He smirks at me a-as I look up, wide eyed.

'_A little forest monster, melting all around her, well, Maro is impressed. Not one of my arrows touched you.' _He smirks again and I hang my head.

He's w-rong, I-I…

I…

'_I'm not a monster…' _I mumble quietly into my hands, staring at the ground.

'_Oh?' _I hear him say, _'Is that so?'_

I nod, still staring down, crying. He chuckles lightly, almost like he's amused. Why? I haven't even said anything funny. And then he turns and walks away.

I can't help myself. I don't think. Fear almost suffocates me at the thought of being left alone, all alone, again. I can't bear it.

'_Wait! Don't l-leave me!' _I cry, reaching out for him.

As soon as I've said it I clamp a hand over my mouth in horror. Only just before he tried to kill me before! What was I thinking? He stops mid-step.

Trembling, I wait, because it's true. I don't want to be left alone. Even th-ough he is so much stronger, and scarier then Doctor White ever was, I'd rather be with him them then left behind in this forest.

Slowly, he turns, and oh-I'm so nervous.

'_Little forest creature would rather come with I?'_

'_Yes! J-just don't leave me alone here!'_

'_What makes you think that Maro wants you?' _He asks coyly.

Crushed. All I can do is stand there. Hopeless. Of course he doesn't want me. Why would he? I feel miserable. Empty, defeated. I really am worthless, a-aren't I? Useless, a r-real failure, maybe I deserve to be here, i-in this miserable forest.

'_O-ok…' _I mumble submissively, worrying at the hem of my tattered gown.

I'm not wanted. I turn to leave. To shuffle away back to the shadows and darkness. To the gloom.

'_Maybe…' _He begins softly and I freeze.

_'Oh ho ho, this indeed will be rich. What will Ajira say when she sees you, forest creature? What will the Master think of me for bringing you?'_ He laughs again, lifting a hand to his mouth in mirth. I bite my lip. Master? Ajira? '_Come then, let us see then what is to be made of you.'_

**15.**

I keep as close as I dare to the man, Basara, he told me to call him. As we walked through the golden city I cowered in his shadow. Never have I seen so much brightness, so much sky! It almost frightens me, but I try to be brave, so as not to shame Basara.

Only vaguely can I see the people of this city. When I scrunch up my eyes, though, I can just make out their features.

They are beautiful!

So tall and elegant! So clean and graceful compared to…to _anything_ I've ever seen before! They look down at me though, and I understand. I'm so dirty and mucky. I'm not worthy to even be here, to see them, and I think the only reason that they don't kill me straight away is because I'm with Basara.

Looking up at him, he is so bold and just as beautiful as they are. I always try to sneak a look at him when his attention is else where. It's just, I've never seen anyone like him! Doctor White was a sickly sort of pale, but Basara is perfect. His cheeks are smooth and flawless, and his fair hair almost shines!

Heat rises in my cheeks and I look down at my bare feet, following his footsteps.

I try not to make any noise at all, and I haven't asked any questions. I don't want to annoy him at all, so I must keep on my best behavior.

We walk through the golden city for ages. It changes too, the deeper we get, the more gates we pass, and I am so impossible lost in this maze. It's almost worse then the forest.

The guards here are so much more fiercer then the ones that used to guards me back in my cell. I feel like they want to rip me to shreds, much less let me through their massive gates, but Basara gives a word, and they don't dare refuse him.

It makes me proud to be in his shadow.

Some time later, I'm not sure how much later, we arrive in a room in a castle. I'm not really sure how exactly we got here, but it's very dark, and very creepy. And I'm very tired, though, I've been very good. I haven't complained at all.

The hair on the back of my neck prickles and all of my skin goes shivery. Something in my blood screams danger, for the atmosphere in this place is suffocating. Worse then the forest, and so much more hungry. My breathing quickens, and Basara must have heard me, for he looks down sharply.

'_Behave yourself, it is a great honour for you to set eyes upon the Master.' _He speaks quietly and for the first time there is no trace of haughtiness in his voice _'Show respect.' _

I nod energetically. I don't really know how I should act, but I keep my eye on Basara with the idea to copy whatever he does in the hopes that it is right. How does one show respect?

Thick incense clogs the air, making me sneeze, even though I try to keep it in. Shimmering, pale curtains veil the room in adjacent rows, leading us forward. They hang lightly in the air, despite the heavy atmosphere, and I think that they are ever so pretty. I try to make out the figures at the end, but I just can't.

This feels like a dream, so unreal. I try to be quiet, but my breath comes quicker, and I am trying my very best not to be afraid or frightened. I don't think that this Master person will be happy if I melt his pretty curtains and richly decorated room.

Slowly, we approach the end. I peek out from behind Basara to see the ten bowed figures before a raised platform. Heavy smoke surrounds the draped figure lying prone on a mass of blankets.

I take a sharp intake of breath, the pressure! It's so much thicker here! I want to run, flee, get away, but I can't. I ignore my instincts, barely, force them to the back of my mind. I grind my teeth. Be brave! Other, heavily decorated cloaked people move slowly away form the draped man in the center.

So scary! I choke.

But Basara has already walked up to the others and is kneeling beside them. He's left me behind! So quickly I run up behind him and kneel, just like he's done. No one looks my way. A good thing, I think.

'_You are almost late, Basara.' _

A deep masculine voice, surprisingly strong speaks from the frail, covered shadow. It makes me tremble in fear, and it is a struggle not to panic, not to spore.

'_Forgive me, my Lord, I was…sidetracked.' _

I wince.

The voice chuckles, and a bead of sweat breaks out on my forehead. I don't like this place, no, not at all. Frightening, I almost want to be alone…

'_You surprise me, Basara, have you bought your 'distraction' with you? I smell the stink of a forest dweller. Why?'_

His almost light tone turns darker, sinister, a threat, so suddenly I'm shaken. Harsh.

The other figures murmur disapprovingly amongst themselves. I whimper, voice of cold, cruel steel, yes, and I clamp my teeth down on my lip, tasting blood. Hoping, needing the distraction. If not, I'll panic, and then everything will go horribly wrong, and they'll be so mad at me…

_'My Lord, I thought she may be useful.'_

How can he be so calm? So unconcerned? Or maybe…maybe he knows that only I will get into trouble, I'm so clearly not meant to be here.

So scared.

'_Useful?' _Criticism, dubious of any use that I could be, and I agree. I am so small _'In what way, Basara? I have trusted your judgement before, What makes this _creature _any reason to do the same?'_

'_My Lord…I believe…Maro thinks that she…may be an…adequate replacement for Santera-'_

Cut off by out rage, indignation, ANGER. All so strong, from all of them, everywhere, at me, at Basara. Hating me now, imposter, I yell. Jump onto my feet and stagger back, away. I can't bear it, can't hold it in.

'_Have you lost your head, stupid Basara-'_

'_Her? Replace-_

'_Outrage!'_

Figures glare, glower, curse at me, will me away, and a painful lump in my throat expands, choking me. Disdain, dismissal.

'_Filth from the forest?'_

'_Never! Let me devour-_

The Master stands abruptly, all at once the fall silent. He and Basara have not spoken a word, and I stumble back, away, for my skin is aching. The cloaked figure strides towards me, NO! He's going to kill me! He seizes a sword from one of his men without missing a step and I cry out, falling.

Fear, FEAR!

RUN! But too much fear has me, I cannot move any more.

Two-

-more-

-steps and he swings the sword up high and-

Pain flaring across my skin, screaming, aching. DUST FLOWING OUT of every pore on every surface and the lump in my throat bursts as I wail. Scream.

LEAVE ME ALONE!

Melt it all away as they leap back in horror. Dust swarms and burns, eats away at every surface. The Masters sword is gone, and his hand is burned in my fear. Tears freely flowing as I sob. Crumple to the ground. DUST, dust, set me apart. Keep them away. Monster, bad monster I am. Lost control, they hate me. Look at their abhorrence, even Basara, Basara who spared you did not leave you alone, and their Master, burned and wide eyed.

I sink to the ground in a heap, closing my eyes and covering my ears. Curl up on my side, shaking, forget them all.

'_Sorrysorrysorry, I'm sorrydidn't mean tosorry…_'

Long time, and no one speaks, and my voice is hoarse and sore and my eyes are red and raw.

Finally, all I can do is lie there, too tired, too weary. So much has happened; I just want the dark, the quiet. I want Lady, to tell me a story. My cell and the familiar. At least I knew my place there. Wait, listen, tentatively, for I can feel my spores have stopped.

What did I do? How much did I melt?

They are talking, that is, the Master and Basara.

'…_the forest, you say?' _Cold intriguement.

_'Correct, my Lord, but not for long, I think…'_

'_That dust…but of course, that's why you bought her…'_

'_Yes, I had heard…concealed from us…'_

'…_Mibu…much to answer for…' _Dangerous.

Their voiced are fading. I can't hear properly, can't even see now. I'm so tired, exhausted, hungry and miserable. I whimper, pitiful, still scared, still frightened.

Still-

_'You!'_

And the harshness of his tone begs no disobedience. My eyes snap open, rigid, again with fear. Clumsily, I try to scramble up, but I am too weak, too drained. I have not eaten since…not probably…

But he holds my gaze and my mind cannot wander. He has me trapped, and despite the burn that scars one eye(did I do that?) his gaze is truly fearsome.

'_I name you Santera of the Twelve Gods Shogun. Acknowledge your unending fealty to me, Lord Nobunaga the Seventh Demon King!'_

'_Uh-I…I…ok-'_

'_My retainers, acknowledge her! And destroy her should she ever betray me!'_

'_Hai.'_

He laughs, almost maniacally, delighted. He swept away into the shadows, cross, and I sink into unconsciousness.

**16.**

It is strange, the way things have changed now.

I'm clean, though my gown is so torn, I don't think that I'm quiet as grubby as I used to be. And I'm full, too. They fed me, lots of good food that I've never tasted before. It was marvelous, I dug in right away with my fingers to scoop in as much as I could, until the Basara scolded me. He said I have to learn to eat properly, gracefully. I mustn't show him or the Master up.

They've done so much for me, I've never been so well looked after like this, ever.

Being apart of the Twelve is good, I surmise. Even if I am afraid of them all, I know that they won't hurt me. Mostly they just ignore me, which is ok, really. The Master, though, he really frightens me. When I'm near him, I can feel the dangerous swell of power under his skin. Lurking, waiting.

They did try to give me new clothes, but they smoldered so easily, it was decided best to stick with the gown. When Basara asked me where I got it from, I told him about Doctor White, and about how he made the solution thing. I guess he must have told the Master, for soon after, we were called to wait on him, and Doctor White was summoned.

Summoned!

That's how powerful the Master is. Just one word and Doctor White has to come running, straight away!

Doctor White, who kept me locked up for so long, who was so mean when he found out about the solution! The thought of seeing him again makes me very nervous. I was so bad when I ran away, he's probably so angry with me.

Would Doctor White recognize me though? It's been a while since I saw him last. What if he wants me back? A knot in my stomach tightens at this thought. Even though I know They won't send me back. I asked Basara about it before.

'_Him?' _Basara gave a derisive chuckle _'That fool has no authority over you anymore. You serve Lord Nobunaga now.'_

So we wait, behind the Master, for Doctor White to come. When he does, I sidle back a little, hoping that he won't notice me, but he does.

Almost immediately his eyes are narrow, and he hisses softly '-_You.'_

But his gaze doesn't linger long on me. The Master demands it, speaking down at the Doctor, as if he were dirt beneath his feet!

The Master tells him he has to make me clothes, fit for my station.

There's a thrill in my chest as I see the Doctors face screw up tighter ad tighter in outrage and indignation. He thinks he's the cleverest man in the world, but I think that the Master must surely be better then him in every way.

'_C-clothes? What? I am a scientist, not some common-' _He spits out, indigent, angry, he thinks they are mocking him.

And suddenly, the Master rises out of his throne, tall and stately. He takes three steps towards White, who visibly quails.

I can't see the Masters face, but I can hear the superiority in his voice. He could cut down Doctor White in an instant, I realize. White is nothing compared to the Master's strength.

'_A curious thing, isn't it Doctor,' _It's almost conversational, but for the seething contempt and veiled threat behind his tone _'for I was under the…impression, on _your _information not less, that the Dragonscale Project was a complete failure.' _

The coldness, the power chills me to the bone. The Master is so, so scary, I can hardly breath. White seems to be struggling, too, like he doesn't know what to say. The Master lets him stew for a while, though we all know the Doctor has nothing to say.

'_It seems that some how you forgot to mention this girl in your reports, hmm? And an immunity too? My you have been careless with your reports, Doctor.'_

Doctor White's face has paled, ashen at the Masters words. His eyes flicker distractedly.

'_Not to fear, though.' _At this, the Master inclines his head slightly. Benevolently. He sounds casual, easy going, but there's something…terrifying in his words. Something d-dangerous that makes me shiver_ 'She found her way to me in the end. You must be relieved, I'm sure. But you see…she needs to be clothed as suited for her rank. She is one of the Twelve, after all.'_

Eventually, my former keeper manages to spit out something of a promise and agreement, before stiffly walking away. Basara has a small smile on his face, though the Master remains indifferent.

The Master didn't want me walking around in a dirty little gown, you see, it will make him look bad. We are Gods, Gods of War, serving the Master, and though…I don't really know what it all means just yet, it can't be a bad thing.

You see, I've never been so well cared for in my life.

**17.**

It's a thing called respect and loyalty. Things that are due unconditionally, expected automatically, owed.

Respect, to hold in esteem or honor. Loyalty, the act of binding yourself, intellectually or emotionally, to a course of action or person.

I'm…not familiar to these ideas. I've always been alone. I've never had to fight for someone. In fact, I never wanted to fight at all. I don't think I respected the Lady. I liked her with me, she was smart, but I don't think it's quiet the same thing as with the Master.

I always did what I was told, not because of loyalty, because I was scared.

Of course, I'm still scared now and here. The other Gods are so powerful, so strong, but they ignore me. They don't really bother that much with me. But the thing is, they're not _trying_ to scare me. They know they're stronger then me, so they ignore me, they don't need to prove anything.

I think…I think I can respect them for that.

Loyalty though, I'm not too sure about. I'll obey the Master, I can't afford not too, but I am too small to have anything of great importance to do with him. Basara does, I can tell that much. The Master trusts his judgement, too.

'_Loyalty?' _The one named Ajira laughs _'We are loyal because he is powerful! The Master is on a divine path to greatness, make no mistake. He is great, and we follow him so as to bathe in that greatness.'_

Blinking, I look up at her through my new glasses, drinking in her musical voice. Basara smiles at her words.

_'Loyalty is unconditional, Santera, for so is the Master.'_

_'Hah, and Maro has always been attracted to greatness, no?'_ Ajira arches an eyebrow, and Basara meets her coy gaze evenly. I feel left out a little, like a watcher. Only she can call him Maro. I am only in their shadows after all.

Greatness, to be great, if we share his shadow, then none can touch us. Touch me. Our loyalty to him will make us untouchable.

The Master frightens me, so I can respect him, I guess. Loyalty though, unconditional loyalty…I'm not sure about that. I think, if anything, though I should never say these words out loud, the one who I could follow forever is Basara.

He bought me here, and as long as I am with him, I'll be safe.

**18.**

This is it. The call to war.

Lord Nobunaga's time has come, and he is to ascend to his rightful place as shogun of this land.

The Mibu have said it will be, so it will be.

I…we are to follow him to battle. I am frightened, actually. Terrified, and the others will mock me for it sometimes.

They are preparing now, fearful helms and plated armor. Even the Antera, a girl my age is armed up for battle. It is amazing, and she glares at me from under a helmet when she sees my stare. I drop my eyes immediately. She's a violent one, and far stronger then I will ever be.

I am not to wear armor. They say it is too hard to make, though I am sure it is just Doctor White making excuses. Besides, the Master has told me that I don't need it. He says that my spores alone will protect me. He says he trusts that it will, and I feel obliged to prove him right.

We are to march onto Sekigahara, to decimate the Tokugawa and Uesugi armies. They say they will fall before our might.

I am afraid.

The horn calls, and we are ready. I look for Basara, so finely adorned, and move towards him. He doesn't mind if I shadow him, as long as I don't get in the way. We move out, nodding to each other, an eager gleam in their eyes.

They are ready for this battle. They hunger for it. Four of our number are flesh eaters, and they make no effort to hide their anticipation for human meat. Sometimes they snap teasingly at me, making me flinch and cower. They forget, sometimes, that I am poisonous.

I shudder.

We gather behind the Master, high on his fine white steed. A feeling of awe swells up in my chest, he looks untouchable! He runs his cold gaze over us all, wordless, before turning round his steed and riding away.

We follow.

We are ready.

* * *

**Authors note: **Again, terribly sorry for the long wait, but its mainly due to two things;

a) I have just started university, so spare time is short, and;

b) I have also started to write my own original novel, which has priority.

I will still try to update this every so often, as I still do get inspiration for it. Hows the latest volume 26? New Sanada warriors whoo!

As for my original fic, it can be found on fictionpress (under the name sckry)on the below address if any of you are interested. Would love to hear you opinion on it!

Thanksfor being so patient!

edit, ok so its not going to let me post the link, here it is extended, so just remove the spaces, sorry!

www . fictionpress . com / sckry


	16. UPDATE

Hey there everybody! Sorry about the long silence. As you might have noticed, I have long given up fanfiction and am now working on an original project I have been working on for a long with a good friend of mine. I apologise for not finishing some of these fics, but I hope you'll at least take a look :) Enjoy!

The first chapter of the Eariee Project is now LIVE

.com

Any one who hasn't heard about out little project, The Eariee Project is an online illustrated novel by *Cae-sar and myself.  
Writing by myself and drawings by *Cae-sar. Story by both of us.

The first chapter is now up and the first page of the second chapter will be up tomorrow. Sunday the 8th, 6pm here in perth Aust.

Feed back on the site would be awesome. There are a few glitches in IE browser, which Julia's tried to mend with no luck. But who uses IE any way. Also just had a major problem with Comicpress which resulted in my losing 5 pages, just re-added those.

This is going to be a challenge for both of us, so please give us any feedback or criticism you have. Julia's done a wonderful job on the website design, so it's left to me to try and write decently.

The first 4 chapters have been written and we have a pretty good head start on this P:

Due to its nature of being a novel and not a comic its going to take at least 30 pages to get going. The story is really going to pick up around chapter 4 so please be patient


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